Every fall, Alberta’s brewers get together to make a batch of beer together. They set aside competition, grievances and differences in brewing approaches to make one beer together. They call it Unity Brew and it truly includes every Alberta brewer. It is a fun day (with way too much beer flowing) and the end result is definitely admirable, regardless of its end result.

The first couple years of the Unity Brew were devoted to funding various charities. The model was that every brewery got a portion of the beer to sell as a fundraiser for a charity of their choice. Pretty cool. Last year the model shifted and proceeds of Unity Brew went to the Alberta Small Brewers Association (ASBA). This shift irked some, but given that the ASBA is an association of small breweries you can appreciate they don’t have a lot of cash flow.

This year the money will also go to the ASBA. Take that as you wish.

What I can tell you is that this year’s beer is designed as an Extra Special Bitter (more commonly known as an ESB). I picked up a bottle to see what it had to offer.

It pours a dark copper orange, right in the range of ESB. It builds a thick, tight off white head that hangs around for a long time. It has a truly impressive look.

The aroma emits touches of caramel, toffee, some nuts and a bit of brown sugar. I also pick up hints of earthy hops, but mostly lingering in the background.

It is in the flavour where the beer really stands out. It starts with a rounded caramel, some toffee and a touch of biscuit as the the malt sweetness factor with a touch of nuttiness to accent. In the middle the beer sharpens a bit with a grainy edge and some earthiness. There are also touches of light fruitiness in the middle to round out the flavour.Some earthy bitterness builds in the finish, but it never gets too overpowering, mostly offering a balancing character, as an ESB should offer. The linger is earthy and softly bitter, adding some floral notes for complexity.The bitterness builds slowly through as you sip.

If too cold, the beer feels at first like it doesn’t have enough going on, but once it warms both the malt and the hops start to open up. It clearly is a beer that needs to be served at traditional British Ale temperature. So be warned – leave the bottle out for a few minutes before opening it.

It is an interesting example of the importance of temperature. This is a beer that needs to be served a bit warmer to really appreciate its qualities. Once you get there, in particular the malt really comes out (I am certain I can taste the Marris Otter).

It may not be a classic ESB, but it lands somewhere close to that. It is a beer if offered I would happily accept a couple.