Cedar Mountain Smoked ESB
The BoB (The Brew on Broadway)

not the best work these guys do, thats for sure, and a far cry from their placer esb, the regular one, which i think stands as my favorite of their all the time offerings. no trace of cedar, which i hoped for given the name. this doesnt have much smoked malt flavor to it, not at all. instead more of a burnt sugar thing, smoke by default of char or something, more of an off flavor than i think something intentional, at least thats how it seems. it almost creates a bitterness double jeopardy with the hops, which are high in the base beer, and seem like too much here. there is more of a spice than a smoke to me, it just seems not right. i have seen this one appear on tap from time to time here at the bob, which has me wondering if its a slow mover or a beer they continue to produce. if its the former, fine, but if its the latter, it needs a few tweaks to make it better. maybe more smoked malt would have a favorable effect? for now, avoid this one, especially if the regular esb is on tap or better yet on cask. thats an awesome example of the style that puts this one to shame.