Salmon Bay ESB (Jane's Bitter)
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company

A bit of that buttery and sweet taste of a new brewery that Maritime is not. Easy but not the best representation of ESB. Will still miss them when gone.

 

Pint at Cutters in downtown Seattle. A solid esb. A little bit too roasty and overly sweet but I still enjoyed it. Maybe I'm used to a more mild esb but this is still pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured a nice copper orange into a pint glass with a thin film of loose white head.

Not much aroma, just some subtle citrusy hops. Low carbonation and a light mouthfeel made for easy drinking, but the flavor didn't bowl me over -- a little bit of caramel malt sweetness and just a hint of bitterness on the finish (was expecting much more from an ESB). Pleasant enough companion to dinner, but not especially memorable.

I must admit I have very limited experience with their products, but I found this to be a solid ESB. The color and clarity were spot on, a deep amber hue and practically transparent. The smell was a bit more assertive than I had expected but pleasant nonetheless. On first taste the dryness comes out with a subtle bitterness throughout melding this the classic toffee and caramel notes. Finish is as clean and crisp. A very nice session beer.

Another bronze ale, this one slightly hazed and with two names. Salmon Bay (or Jane's Bitter) has a light fruity aroma hardly worth mentioning. But the taste has a rich and authentic bittering component built on English hops accented by Yakima's finest. A slight touch of Tetley's tea emerges blended with caramel and perhaps a hint of lemon. Soothing, refreshing, and companionable. Recommended.

On tap at Maritime and E9 in Tacoma. Poured golden, light golden as it poured ans settled. Bitterness was prominent from beginning to end with a hoppiness to boot. This is an excellent beer on cask. Loys of carbonation and a good malt profile. Very good.

Large bubbled head; little lace. Dark amber in color.

Sweet malt and bountiful hop aroma. This is the best aroma I've ever gotten from a pub pour.

Creamy, full bodied beer with relatively weak carbonation. The malt starts the taste. Lots of hop at the swallow and during the aftertaste.

This is a beer that reminds me of the decent pints poured in Britain. This casked offering was served at a good pub temperature, approximately 50 degrees.

On cask at the Elk Public House, served in a pint glass.

Pours a cloudy gold/brown color. The beer is not transparent at all. A rich foamy white head forms but is not a real sticky head. Marginal lacing.

Smell is a hoppy piney scent. It has a very pungent acerbic aroma.

Taste is sweet malt with a very VERY bitter finish. I know this is a bitter, but I think the bitterness is overdone.

Mouth feel is full bodied and a little cloying. There is minimal carbonation and the beer seems a bit flat, even for a cask conditioned brew.

This is drinkable enough for a bitter. I'm not much on the style, but this beer is not much of a thirst quencher. It might be better in the fall.

Appearance – This poured a dark, hazy orange with a really nice head that showed good retention and pitted well.

Smell – Nice, light bittering sits atop a significant toasted-malt base.

Taste – Wow. This is much bitterer than I thought it would be from the nose. This is a very bitter and dry brew. It’s more like bitter lettuce than anything else. There’s some burnt malt flavor here but no sweetness whatsoever, just a very strong bitter taste.

Mouthfeel – Light to medium-bodied and extremely dry in the mouth.

Drinkability – I really enjoyed this one. It is one of the driest and most bitter beers that I’ve ever had. It was originally entered as a “bitter” style but I’m requesting a change to “ESB”.