E.S.B.
South Street Brewery

 

 

 

South Street ESB, enjoyed this past Thursday at my weekly South Street sojurn. Enjoyed on nitro tap in a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: Comes a hazy amber body, sort of dull, capped by a foamy, light tan, two-finger head, dull in color but with great (nitro) retention. Gets the standard half point reduction for nitro steroid enhancement.

Aroma: A little toasty for the style, reasonably well-attenuated - slightly sweet and a little dry - and relatively faint overall, hidden under that nitro cap. A slight spice presence and prickle, accompanied by a few stray leafy and herbal notes.

Taste: Citrus and dry grass notes dominate, and it's a little sweeter than the nose might suggest. It's also slightly tart, sort of like candied oranges in places, with hints of caramel and slightly earthy dough peeking through.

Mouthfeel: Smooth but crisp, somehow, under all that nitro costing. It's only mildly carbonated and medium bodied, resulting in a fairly even, smooth mouth.

Drinkability: Not South Street's best, but not their worst either. A solid, standard go to beer, reasonably low in abv%, and pleasant without breaking any ground.

A: A fairly clean golden colour, and the tap filled it with quite a burst of creamy fizz through the drink. The resulting head is pretty nice.

S: A rather mild aroma of roasted malts, with perhaps the slightest nutty scsent rolling through there.

T + M: Quite a nice, full malt flavour - very creamy and chewy. A bit of a smoky-like flavour comes through in the roast, but not in a really big way. A little bit of biscuity goodness in there. Overall, just a very smooth, creamy malt bomb.

D: I'm quite pleased with this offering and it would make an appropriate session brew. It smooths out nicely as it goes and ends up being nice and refreshing, even with the creaminess.