Extra Special Pale Ale (ESP)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

 

On tap at O Briens. I thought this was an ESB, but i was corrected, this was an ESP. I liked this beer alot. first off, it looked nice, pretty much identical to SNPA. the smell was crisp, a good blend of bread and citrus with neither dominating. The taste also reminded me of SNPA, but with a twist. This one is much dryer than the flagship beer. It also is extremely balanced in terms of malt to hop. The dryness is really what makes it unique.

A solid all around effort from Sierra nevada. I could defnitely session this one.

On tap at OB's and served in a pint glass is an ambergold ale with a small white head which settles to a bit of lace. Mild in the carbonation visually, but more than adequate on the tongue.

The aroma is largely on the hop side, a bit of citrus, some grassyness, a tad piney and some fresh cut hay (alfalfa, if you will). The taste is mellow malt with a citrusy sweetness of tangelo, then winding down to a very pleasant, rather pine hop of a finish...good stuff.

A medium body with a high drinkabilty due to the ABV of 5.8%...a good thirst quencher that is very sessionable to say the least. Another fine brew from the builder's of Bigfoot, cheers.

On tap at the Pizza Plant on Transit,poured a nice rich medium golden with a very tight sticky white head,ahh the blessed hops really show their presence with citrusy and apricot fruit tones I picked up a little toasty cracker dryer maltiness as well in there.A nice combination of left coast hop and toasty malt the hop profile is somewhat complex with juicy apricot and lemon pith with a small hint of herb,toasty in the finish that lingers nicely.A well rounded hop accented quaffing pale I really enjoyed it,this would be a staple if I could find it regularly.

Definitely made an appearance on tap at Fathead's with the ESP tap handle standing out along with other limited and one off beers. It was on tap on 11-17-06 and I'm not quite sure if it's still around...probably not depending on how many kegs they received. Appers a copper amber with a large cream beige head leaves thin lace but it's even very nice stuff. Aroma has a dominant herbal citrus hop combo with some balanced malt character but the hops are much more pronounced due to the dry hopping opposed to standard SNPA. Taste combines upfront crisp bitterness and citrus and mild pine flavors with a characteristic Sierra Nevada malt and yeast breadiness found in the SNPA great extra twist from the standard pale. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with even carbonation and oily resinous hop flavor going on I'm liking it. Drinkability very lush pale ale could be a standard for me, I hope to see more of this show up in the future.

On-tap at The Brew Kettle, Strongsville, OH - 11/6/2006

A: Pours golden with a small frothy head with good sustain.

S: Strong but smooth aroma of floral hops and citrus.

T: Like SNPA but with some kick. Dry flavor of pine and a bit of lemon with a crisp bitterness.

M: Medium-light in body with moderate carbonation. Finishes bone dry.

D: Quite nice and a step up from SNPA. A great all around beer that would be great for session drinking. Too bad it is not more widely distributed.

This just came out on tap today at the brewery. They re-use the wet hops from the Harvest Ale and dry-hop some pale ale with them. This is very similar to SNPA, but with a NOTICABLY more bitter bite. Floral, fruitcake-type NW hops are all over this beer, as the pale ale body stuggles to support the hoppy bitterness. Much more bold than the Pale, and alot more enjoyable too. The same body character as the Pale, which is a bit too full for me, but still a joy to drink even though it leaves me too full. If you see it, order one.