Merciless Minger ESB
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

On the way back to Chicago, I stopped in at the new Three Floyds pub on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Fuller's ESB was a favorite of mine during my stay in London, so this one intrigued me into ordering an imperial pint.

It came out a deep brick color, more earthy brown than red, I'd say, with a thin soapy head that left just a bit of lacing. The smell was tons of orangey hops, as you'd expect from the Floyds. It's sweet and nutty and biscutty, then the anticipated hops come in and linger on your tongue for quite a while. It's basically a hopped up take on the ESB, and I really enjoyed it. Much too rich to chug, obviously, and of course you wouldn't want to, but I definitely could have drank this all afternoon. Alas, I can only afford to have one before getting back to I-94 (shudder).

Pours like a good ESB, dark rust brown amber with a nice retentive head.

Smells like standard 3F citrus hops, maybe a bit more orange than grapefruit. Surprisingly hoppy, but with big biscuit and chewy yeast mixed with the sweet caramel grain of a good Brown Ale.

This is easily the hoppiest ESB I've ever had. Tastes like a borderline IPA. Big bread to start with. Banana bread, actually, slightly sweet and melt-in-your-mouth chewy. The yeast comes through more as it progresses, very sharp and doughy, and mixes steadily with the orange hops that dominate the finish and leave a wonderfully dry bitterness in your mouth.

A big beer that can be savored or pounded, depending on what you have going on later in the evening.

On tap at the brewpub, not sure how long this has been tapped. Dark orange, almost brown with a tan head that was thin but laced throughout the entire drink. Smell sweet, almost caramel, but also nutty. More nut with the first drink, plenty of citrus peel, sweet biscuity malt and the finish was a very bitter citrus that left a dry reminder in your mouth minutes after you finally swallowed it. I enjoyed it, I'd probably get it again, it went well with the Buffalo Calamari, was able to extinguish the fire that was created by them.