ESB
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

Since I didn't visit around the anniversary I'm gonna assume that was the "Special Bitters" that was on tap this Friday.

Pours a clear dark rust with a small head. Sparkly translucent, pretty but not exactly impressive.

Smells of intense English caramel malts, big toffee, and light and spicy hops. Nice, actually, to come across an ESB that doesn't have the smell of medicinal pasteurization riding on the heels of the malt profile. This is all sweetness.

Tastes *smooth*. Very nice balance between sweet and bitter--great, caramel and toffee malt profile and a surprisingly complex backend of savory european hops.

Note that this beer is different than the Anniversary ESB that Goose puts out every year. The beer is a surprisingly dark brown with a dense coco head and sheets of lacing.

The smell is maltier than expected. It also possesses a nice herbal almost medicinal smell.

The taste is a bit sweet with a nice citrus underpinning and a smidgen of Ritz crackers. There is a nice almost charred taste in this beer. Different than many ESBs, but very tasty. A bit more bitter late. I could almost give this one a 4.5 on taste. I hope to resample soon and may re-rate.

The mouth manages to be both silky and a bit forceful. A very sessionable beer here! I would love to see this one on cask.