United Nations of Beer

Rock Art Magnumus Ete Tomahawkus ESB2

by Ashley Cotter-Cairns
(UNOB HQ)

Rock Art Magnumus Ete Tomahawkus ESB2
Rock Art Brewery, VT, USA
Visit the UNOB's Vermont beer guide

It's getting harder to refer to my 'recent' trip to the Vermont Brewers Festival. It was many weeks ago, when summer was definitely still in full swing. Now that the Autumn chills (or Fall shivers, depending on which side of the pond you're from) are with us, the VBF seems a long way off.



Fortunately, help is at hand in the shape of the beers I picked up on the way home, which have since been lying down, waiting patiently for me to review them. Among them was one I was really looking forward to trying... simply because I am a sucker for extreme experiences. Rollercoasters, bungees, white water, parachute jumps and now, Extreme ESB.

There's no two ways about this beer. You are either going to love it or detest it. To call it Extreme is really understating the case. Rock Art Extreme ESB2 is truly a memorable experience in beer form!

It begins as a fairly massive-smelling glassful of hoppiness and ends in a face-scrunchingly bitter slap across the taste buds that's about as subtle as a Hendrix riff and just as powerful. Rocket fuel? This one could power your SUV for days on a single bottle.

Normal tasting rules simply don't apply. It's hard to sort through the storm of hops and bitterness for anything resembling another taste.

If, like me, you love hoppy beers and enjoy extreme bitterness, then you will absolutely LOVE this beer. Many, many people who try it will totally hate it. Which is fine. They can consider themselves forewarned by the no-punches-pulled label.

Awesome, awesome beer. Thanks Rock Art! Extreme ESB2 is a brutal wonder.