Old Speckled Duck
The Dodging Duck Brewhaus

Started with a sampler of Dunkelweiss, Pumpkin Ale and the ESB. This one was my fave of the 3.

A - Nice dark yellow deep gold in color. Not much head when it was brought to the table.
S - A little hoppy but not much else to talk about.
T - I love the introduction of the West Coast Hops with the English malt. It gives the beer a really unique taste.
D - Goes down well, not sure of the ABV on this but I was feeling it although I was drinking on an empty stomach. (Not Smart)
M - A little thin on the pallet but otherwise a very well done beer.

Sampled 6-2-06

Appearance: Effervescent large off white head with lots of bubbles rising. The beer itself is a clear burnt orange color with a head that lasts forever.

Aroma: Butter toffee aroma...that is seriously what it smells like. The hops add a very distinct British sweet and floral presence.

Taste: The malts are really toasty and toffee like with a slight hop presence in the finish along with a slight metallic and minerally finish. The hops are definitely noticeable in the finish, but they are not dominating. The malt rules ultimately.

Opinion: I am really enjoying this brew house’s beers. This is my third one and it too ends up with a balance toward the malt in the finish. This style of beer isn't my "cup of tea", but I believe that it is a good example of it. I would drink this beer again.

The Dodging Duck menu states that this ESB won a gold medal at the 2003 WBC.

Old Speckled Duck ESB is a bright amber in color with a nice garnet hue. There is a 1/4" off-white head that settles quickly to a ring. Good spider web of lace.

The aroma is of caramel and toffee, slightly sweet. Nice balance with a clean hop smell not too far off in the background.

Malty, caramel, somewhat earthy towards the finish. Some piney hop flavor evident. Tastes fresh. Good bitter hops in the end.

Slick, round mouthfeel. Mid-range carbonation level. Long finish that swings back and forth between bitter notes and the caramel/toffee/earthy profile. Nicely balanced. Great drinkability. Well made, local craft beer. I will be refilling my growler on a regular basis.

Appearance - Sampled in a flight of four beers. Reasonable head, copper/amber color. Good lace.

Smell - Rich malt dominates the smell, with a whiff of hops to balance it slightly.

Taste - This beer has a strong and rich malt flavor. It is generally good and bitter (in line with style), with some residual sweetness.

Mouthfeel - The body seems to be about what one would hope for in an ESB - not too big, not weak, and not in the way of the flavor.

Drinkability - This beer is tasty and quite appealing. It has a slightly grassy twang or a "bright" feeling to it.

Comments - This is a good beer overall. It is one of The Dodging Duck's best offerings.

Dodging's ESB is dark amber with a reddish tint. The aroma is fairly weak, but clean. Mild hops smell is noted. The taste is nicely balanced with good hops presence and just enough malty sweetness. Overall I found this to be a very good beer, just not something to blow me away. I enjoyed their other offerings that I tried more.