28 Nov SpindleTap Honey Hole ESB by Tony

Honey Hole ESB

SpindleTap

Houston, TX (Aldine)

ESB

ABV: 7%

IBUs: 20

Packaging: Draft, 12oz. Cans

Honey Hole ESB is a terrific beer from SpindleTap Brewery, and it’s one of my favorites from them. I think I enjoy it so much because it’s a bit unusual to see an ESB, and Honey Hole really hits the spot for the style (pun wholly intended). For those that’ve never heard of the term, a Honey Hole is when a drilling spot produces a ton of oil, meaning quite literally, “it hits the spot.”

ESB stands for Extra Special Bitter, and Honey Hole’s extra special, alright! It starts off clean and mildly fruity, then the sweet-malt flavor comes in, and it’s finished off by a very light hop bitterness. Honey Hole is a very balanced beer. Good amount of flavor, good amount of malty sweetness, not too heavy on bitterness (despite the name).

Honey Hole ESB doesn’t have a macro comparison, but I can see it being a decent beer to give to somebody exploring something new. One of my best friends recently retired from the Marines, and I brought a six pack to share with him alongside some smoked pork (his hand pictured below). Since it’s unique, but very well-balanced, I figured Honey Hole ESB would be a good craft beer to share with him. He approved. I was vindicated. That’s the best.

I’m giving this Honey Hole a 4 star because it’s a terrific, well-balanced beer, and you could have a few without feeling like you’ve overdone it.

Honey Hole has a cloudy, golden, almost orange color. The head and lace aren’t worth mentioning, but the mouthfeel is pretty silky with low carbonation. It finishes kinda juicy too.

I’ve had this one a handful of times before, but I remember being impressed the first time I drank it.

Honey Hole ESB has a similar style to other Spindle Tap cans, with a big orange badge in the middle of the can to hold the typography. That’s flanked by a couple of bees, and it all rests on a yellow/aluminum honeycomb pattern.

I’ve seen Honey Hole ESB just about everywhere good beer is sold. If you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time, you know I got mine at HEB, but you can find it on draft at a few places around town too.

Honey Hole ESB is great. Period. When somebody that doesn’t drink much beer can enjoy it, I always like to keep a few of those around. How about you? Honey Hole hit the spot or naah? Let us know in the comments below.