Sawtooth
Left Hand Brewing Company
- From:
- Left Hand Brewing Company
- Colorado, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #102 - ABV:
- 5.3%
- Score:
- 84
Ranked #42,376 - Avg:
- 3.72 | pDev: 12.63%
- Reviews:
- 725
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 02, 2025
- Added:
- Sep 16, 2001
- Wants:
- 89
- Gots:
- 380
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
Sessionable. Unpretentious. Left Hand's original flagship. Proof that a beer can be both complex and balanced. Malty chewiness slowly transitioning over to herbal, earthy hops with a dry finish. Brewed to be enjoyed with friends and to stimulate serendipity.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Sinfull from New York
3.78/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Hat off to the Left Hand guys who keep this noncommercial style alive and not making 5 IPAs instead. Beautiful, amber color, big off-white head. Toasted caramel, herbs, hint of minerals. Malty taste with moderate sweetness.
Apr 02, 2025
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan
4.19/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.19/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Not sure how long I’ve been looking for this one, when Fuller’s pulled their ESB from Michigan, I was suddenly bereft of the style. Someone told me about Sawtooth so I tried to find it during my annual trip to Colorado (it isn’t distributed in Michigan as far as I know)
It is a solid, maybe not great, but certainly solid representation of the style, one of those that I want every time I watch a British crime show (Inspector Morse anyone?)
Another I wish was canned, just to make it easier for me to ship home. Other than that, I prefer the bottles.
May 27, 2024It is a solid, maybe not great, but certainly solid representation of the style, one of those that I want every time I watch a British crime show (Inspector Morse anyone?)
Another I wish was canned, just to make it easier for me to ship home. Other than that, I prefer the bottles.
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.25/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Draft at Homestead. Dark brown pour, thine beige head, lacing. Malty aroma, toasty, nutty. Taste brings a little sweetness, malty, mild roast, thins out at the back.
Jan 31, 2024Reviewed by dofo777 from Maryland
3.59/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Mild and unpretentious, clear, brownish amber, no head. Not too bitter but not sweet, clean, slightly syrupy feel in the mouth with no real aftertaste, slightly bitter finish.
Apr 04, 2023Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a can into a tulip.
Pours a slightly-hazy copper/amber, with a decent head, but not much retention. Good lacing and a nice skein of foam.
Malty, toasty, nutty, and mildly fruity aromas all waft mildly through the nose. Just a touch of earthy floral hop.
The flavors follow the nose and are very well balanced. Caramel, toasted, and slightly fruity malts on the tip of the tongue, but only slightly sweet. Crackery and mildly spicy yeast in mid stream, with a clean grain fullness and citrus peel. Mild earthy and floral hop bitterness brings it hope at the finish, with just a hint of alcohol warmth, and balances well with the slightly sweet malts.
The brew is nearly medium bodied, creamy, and only moderately carbonated, yet it finishes well. A very drinkable, repeatable brew.
Overall, an excellent take on the style, especially for an American brewer. The British are the masters of understatement, and this brew is appropriately understated in both its malt (not too sweet) and hops (not too bitter), providing an easy balance in the process. It all comes together rather well. It isn't an exciting brew, but it's an eminently flavorful, drinkable one.
Oct 05, 2019Pours a slightly-hazy copper/amber, with a decent head, but not much retention. Good lacing and a nice skein of foam.
Malty, toasty, nutty, and mildly fruity aromas all waft mildly through the nose. Just a touch of earthy floral hop.
The flavors follow the nose and are very well balanced. Caramel, toasted, and slightly fruity malts on the tip of the tongue, but only slightly sweet. Crackery and mildly spicy yeast in mid stream, with a clean grain fullness and citrus peel. Mild earthy and floral hop bitterness brings it hope at the finish, with just a hint of alcohol warmth, and balances well with the slightly sweet malts.
The brew is nearly medium bodied, creamy, and only moderately carbonated, yet it finishes well. A very drinkable, repeatable brew.
Overall, an excellent take on the style, especially for an American brewer. The British are the masters of understatement, and this brew is appropriately understated in both its malt (not too sweet) and hops (not too bitter), providing an easy balance in the process. It all comes together rather well. It isn't an exciting brew, but it's an eminently flavorful, drinkable one.
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