Ocean Experimental ESB
Ocean Lab Brewing Company

Cowboys need to step aside. Now we're singing- where have all the nuanced beer gone. But bringing balance back to the beer scene, Ocean Lab offers a rounded, balanced and flavorful Extra Strong Bitter to their lineup, if only briefly.

Tawny chestnut and brilliantly clear, their ESB tops off with an eggshell froth and a scent of subtlety- fruity hops, juicy malt and gentle esters are equipped with suggestions of cashew, toffee and coffee. Sweeter on the tongue, the caramelized taste of nuttiness, toast and a hint of brown sugar carries a characterful malt flavor into a hoppy balance of apricot, light jam and citrus. A broad bitterness spreads along the middle palate and intensifies to offset the malt sweetness for a characterful, balanced and nuanced finish and a medium-long aftertaste of coffee and bitters.

Medium bodied and bitter-sweet, the beer is a clean, crisp and concise throwback to when the world cared about balance drinkability in beer.