Johnny Rotten
Melvin Brewing

this is not the kind of beer these guys have been known for, but it sure is a nice esb, and additional proof (as if we needed it) that these guys really can do it all. its full of flavor, easy to drink, feels like liquid breakfast as i take it in, packed with relatively complex maltiness and fermented real clean. its nutty, grainy, and with a nice contribution from the yeast, almost a slight doughy aspect there, quite english, but a lot brighter to me than a lot of the imported examples of this style ever feel, without any oxidation at all, very low residual sugar, and an earthiness rather than a baked or long boiled grain complexion. i get notes of honey, almond, biscuit, and whole grains in here, some balancing bitterness from the hops but not a ton of flavor from them, and a smoothness to the texture that i really like. nice carbonation, neat sort of middle of the road malt depth making it real drinkable, and overall just a fantastically well executed beer, even if its not as aggressive or dramatic or distinctive as most of what has made these guys famous. i really dug this.