Trailside ESB
Base Camp Brewing Company

 

 

 

This was poured into a mug. The appearance was a hazy burnt orange color with a one finger white foamy head that dissipated immediately leaving some messy lacing. The smell started off with the normal qualities of any ESB - toast, some caramel malt, light toffee, some dry grass. Normal level of acceptable "soapiness." The taste had the soapy sweet malts running over the grassy notes. Toffee and caramel malts make a nice effort to blend but stays mainly in the background. Definite soapy aftertaste. Quick dry malty finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light on the body. Sessionable - yes. Carbonation feels pretty light. Overall, as an ESB, it mostly works, I think I could have this again for me, preferably with food.

 

 

Serving: Can, from the can
Served: September 2016

Had this beer directly from the can, and was relatively pleased with the branding, but I can't say too much about the appearance of the beer itself. As for the beer, it was a nicely drinkable brew, slight bready bitterness but also a decent, underlying caramel note. A solid brew.

 

This beer pours a deep, cloudy amber with a medium sized head. The aroma is rich with earthy hop character, butterscotch, marshmallow, and raisin. The flavor is still quite rich, with toffee, coffee, butterscotch, rootbeer, and a good level of bitterness. The mouthfeel is creamy, but with a bit too much carbonation, and not quite enough body. Overall this is a decent ESB, not the best US example, but solid, mostly let down by mouthfeel.

Pours a deep amber-copper, slightly cloudy, with a thin medium-light tan head. The aroma and the taste are both light, faintly malty with a hint of fruit. Both are pretty mild for the style, not particularly robust. Smells like a amber ale, ESB-like, fruity notes. The taste still has the bready taste but the caramel note is much stronger than in the smell. The hops are also a bit weaker but still detectable. This has some malt backbone with a slight sweetness that is cut well by the hops. Juice fruit center with a quick and sweet finish. Simple, delicate, and masterfully balanced. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

A: really pretty orange-brown in the glass.

S: yeasty, a little butter, grass, and grape.

T: I read before drinking this that some think it tastes like an IPA, and I can see that. To me it initially almost tastes like a little bit of sour mimosa, or a really orangey session IPA, because the hops are all orange peel notes, backed with a little pine lupulin and lots of subtly sweet, bready baking- yeasty malt flavor.

M: Quite watery actually, like a session IPA or something, yet leaves sugary malt and buttery malt on the tongue and makes my breath smell like bread and alcohol.

O: A solid ESB. I heard some online reviewer call it a clone of a certain big craft brewer’s ESB out of Seattle, but this is actually better than That Other ESB, IMO. Not my favorite style but still impressed me. 4.35/5.

This beer is so popular here in Portland that the dude at the Plaid where I got it told me that Base Camp had completely run out of their first brewing of it and they have to get more in. It’s pretty dang good.

Pairs well with Mango Kush cannabis.