Tea.S.B
Glass Bottom Brewery

This was a disappointing taste - we bought one bottle while in Mass -- seeing it was an ESB, we bought it. Then later discovered it was really a "flavored" ESB - or, I would say really - a messed-up ESB. I see what they were trying to do, adding a hoppy citrusy slant, but it really didn't work, and so I'd rather use drink a citrusy IPA or a regular malty ESB, if ya know what I mean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amber and cloudy. Lighter head. No lasting lace (slides down the glass quickly).

Initial smell of cinnamon and then it quickly shifts to ginger....lots of ginger. Some lemongrass, perhaps? Not what I expected, but still very pleasant.

The taste is far more mellow than the smell. Good toasty malt flavor up front. Creamy body with minute effervescence. The aftertaste has a bit of the ginger bite but it's gentle. The finish is quite dry. Malty at the end too. What isn't showing up is much hop--not an ESB. Good but unexpected. In a beer review for style, this would do poorly. Still I like it.

Never heard of Glass Bottom Brewery until I saw this 22 oz. bottle at a western MA package store. Glad I gave it a try as it was an interesting and enjoyable approach to an ESB - definitely worthy of a repeat purchase when I'm in the area again.

This interesting idea is not quite as successful as their Parsnippity (sp?) Tripel, primarily because the tea is so present as to overwhelm the ESB. Or at least that's where I landed with this. But it wasn't dull. Not like the barrel-aged nonsense I'm drinking as I write this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First time I have ever seen this beer. It's brewed in Lee, MA. I'm having it on tap in Pittsfield, MA at J. Allen's. The Troegs Mad Elf was out so i ordered this beer. Smells like tea and citrus - reminds me of Shock Top with tea added to it. It's tastes decent. Not my favorite but a decent local beer that I am cool with supporting. Give it a try if you have a chance!!