Appalachian Brewing Company- ESB Cask

I stopped by Appalachian Brewing Company last night and they had an Extra Special Bitter in the cask. I have not previously had an ESB from ABC, nor is any ESB listed on their website. The beer is amber in color, and has a thick frothy head. There is not too much aroma to the beer, but what is present hints at malts. The beer is creamy and warm in temperature, due to the fact it is served from a cask. The taste is mostly malty and not really bitter at all. I believe that the cask has really rounded out this beer and removed the bitter finish. There is a faint hop accent on the end. The alcohol content is around 5.5%, according to the bartender. While I thought that this beer was decent, I would like to try it not in the cask. I feel that the cask may have softened the bitterness too much, not really making this beer an ESB by definition.