ESG (Extra Special Golden)
Terminal Gravity Brewing Company

ESG (Extra Special Golden)ESG (Extra Special Golden)
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From:
Terminal Gravity Brewing Company
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Blonde Ale
Ranked #261
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
81
Ranked #25,508
Avg:
3.53 | pDev: 14.16%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
55
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 29, 2023
Added:
Oct 21, 2004
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  5
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by msubulldog25:
Photo of msubulldog25
Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

4.01/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
One of those beers I've had on occasion that I've come around to fully appreciate. I've only seen the ESG on-draught; this occasion was a pint poured at Jax in downtown Portland.

A: Gorgeous, lightly hazed golden yellow, glowing in the sunshine. Head is miniscule, just a sliver of bubbly whiteness. Moderate amount of scattered carbonation.

S: Sweet wheat/rye/grain aroma. Lots of hay and a mildly floral hoppiness.

T: Appealing, full grain flavor with a pleasant level of spice. Accented with a lightly hopped tartness, tangerine and orange, peaches?. Finishes with herbal/grassy sweetness. So very good!

M: Initially seemed thin, then a richer mouthfeel develops. Overall it's a crisp, light-medium bodied brew, well-balanced with a fresh, clean finish.

D: Perfect on a warm late spring afternoon and the epitome of "session beer". Clean, excellent flavor, worthy of having much more often than I have in the past. Thanks to Terminal Gravity for making this one.
May 31, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.71 by MobBarley from Oregon

Jun 29, 2023
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
i cant quite place this one. its not the conventional blonde or golden in that its not all that light, nor is it minimal in flavor, frankly its not even all that easy drinking which i am tempted to mark as a knock against it, but there are parts of this i like pretty well too. like a lot of the beer i have had from these guys, this is technically lacking a little bit, but its interesting and off style enough to stand out. sturdy too. this is a little hazy and doesnt have much head retention from the tap. it smells like minerals and earth, short of being metallic, and its grainy but not sweet to me, bittering hops only, maybe faintly english on the ferment side, but not really. the flavor is sort of big and vacuous at the same time, like its fuller bodied for the style and even a little filling, but i dont taste a whole lot. maybe a little wheat, some breadiness to the grain, i taste the water, its a little bland but at the same time kind of bigger, its just beer flavored beer, but its not samey, hard to describe, not amazing, but definitely better than boring. an interesting take on the style, decently carbonated, good structure, and overall something remain a little confused by even after a pint. i would definitely have another to further internalize, but i am not sure that would yield much. uniquely dumbfounding in the style. is this good or bad, its not even obvious...
Sep 03, 2021
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Golden Ale? Blond lager? I'm not sure. Either way, it pours bright gold or what I might call dark straw. I can see my fingers on the back of the glass through the liquid, but with a bit of a blur. The thin white head on top manages to toughen out a decent surface coverage along with some moderate lacing.

Not too much going on in the aroma. A little cereal, maybe some corn, a little hay, some floral hop finish. It smells light and refreshing, and that's what I'm looking for here.

And that's exactly what I get. A good helping of grain backed by a spicy hop finish. Plain and simple.

Yet the texture is not. Somehow the graininess seems to have a chewy or even meatiness to it. It's even slightly slick but recovers with a well carbonated and tingly end with a lightly bittered bite. From medium bodied to light bodied like that, and overall pretty well balanced.

This ain't a bad beer. But it's not good either. Even the wording was confusing, "Extra Special Golden", whatever the hell that means. Feels like a golden ale, tastes like a blond lager, feels somewhere in between. Refreshing enough, but I'll stick with some much better options for the same price point. Cheers.
Apr 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.79 by evergreen_machine from Washington

Dec 29, 2017
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.03/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Not very bitter for an ESB. Hazy golden body with creamy head. Malty nose with a touch of citrus. Malt again in the taste, mouthfeel slick and oily. Closer to a golden ale....
May 23, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.1/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Hits those pretty gold notes, 3/4" white head. Aroma was mute.

Taste was a pedestrian jaunt down beer road. Everything held in check, a little bit of back end off bitterness. Too much burn for an abv of this nature. Something to drink when you don't want a ton of taste, but avoids being watery.
Mar 22, 2016
Photo of Troy-Hawaii
Reviewed by Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

2.13/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
Bought a 12oz bottel from Don Quiojte $1.00. Golden color, initial taste not very good but became ok after a few more sips, light mouthfeel, overall not a beer I would buy again. There is no date on the bottle so it could be old beer, but since they don't date their product quality must not be a concern for them.
Jan 08, 2016
Photo of Spikester
Reviewed by Spikester from Oregon

3.65/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Had this beer many years ago and a few here and there since. Not usually seeking out Blonde ales but this is much better than average. Pours hazy luminous yellow gold with one finger of white head. Splotches of lace stick to the sides of the glass.
Smell is bread crust malts with a bit of herbal hop notes.
Taste is bread crust spice nice dose of herbal hops in the back.
Mouthfeel is light with good carbonation and a lightly dry bitter finish.
One of the best of this style with some nice touches to make this extra special.
Sep 16, 2015
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This is a good example of how your expectations confuse your taste buds. I was thinking IPA when I opened this, so the light hop water tea taste was a surprise. Such a wan mouthfeel, but quite carbonated with some of the club soda taste. I can't seem to find much aroma. Boldly foamy and golden, and nice to look at in the tall glass.

The brewer says this is made with "flaked rye and a hint of peat smoke." Very subtle on both counts, but there is an interesting indefinable note in the aftertaste. There's a wee bit of fruit, like dried peach, but the barest hint of malty sweetness. Thoroughly drinkable, if forgettable. From the 12 oz bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station in Bellingham, Washington.
Aug 07, 2015
Photo of Libeertarian
Reviewed by Libeertarian from Montana

3.54/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Light, semi-cloudy honey color, with medium retention lemon white head. Grainy, estery aromas, a touch of lemon. Grain, grass, lemon, and honey on the palate. Slightly herbal hops throughout, strongest in finish, and going well with other flavors. Faint black pepper aftertaste (edit: didn't even realize there was rye in this beer until reading some other reviews...might partly explain the pepper), a pleasant surprise! Light- to medium-bodied. Fairly smooth, just a bit watery with mild, sudsy carbonation, hardly dry at all, making for an interesting finish.
Jul 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.79 by chossboss from Oregon

May 11, 2015
 
Rated: 3.66 by GeorgeAKeim from Oregon

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.58 by SurferEric from Hawaii

Feb 24, 2015
Photo of Fatehunter
Reviewed by Fatehunter from Oregon

3.4/5  rDev -3.7%
Pours a thin head on a cloudy straw colored body.
The aroma is grain and honey.
The taste is mild all-around: grain and bitter. Good balance.
The texture is smooth with low carbonation.
Nice.
Sep 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Beerme5 from Oregon

Dec 30, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by anteater from Oregon

Oct 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by OregonGrown7 from Oregon

Jul 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by EugeBeerFan from Oregon

Jul 21, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by firstlighthiker from Tennessee

Jun 14, 2013
ESG (Extra Special Golden) from Terminal Gravity Brewing Company
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 55 ratings