Scratch Beer 11 - 2008 (ESB)
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

First and foremost, this rating is based on how this one is drinking right now, not in the past.

Yet another old Scratch Beer ticked off the ever shrinking list. Yet again, big thanks to Deuane for giving me one of these to try.

A - We have a gusher! Pours cloudy copper orange with a dense three finger tall white head leaving thin webs of lace down parts of the glass.

S - Smells of mildly toasted malts, toffee, fruity yeast and a surprising amount of hops still present. It is definitely a little past its prime but it is still holding strong.

T - Starts off with a good amount of toffee sweetness and a mild amount of hop bitterness slowly giving way to hints of green apple, toasted bread and a bit of earth. Finish is sweet with a touch of dryness at the end of each sip, lingering on the palate for quite awhile.

M - Medium body and flavor with moderately high carbonation. Pretty sweet throughout with some dryness creeping in at the end of each sip. Not as crisp as it once was but still decent in a different way.

O - A little over carbonated but it is holding up surprisingly well. It may not taste like it once did but it is still a decent beer.

Knocking off some old Scratch Beers/cleaning out Deuane's basement.

A - Pours a murky copper color with three fingers of creamy, off white head...rocky retention leads to chunky lacing

S - Floral notes were very present...surprising with the age...there were only a few bready notes

T - The flavor is comprised of more bread than the nose would suggest...I figured a lot of these notes would be coming out...I'm getting a faint banana flavor and some apples as well...there is a touch of grain right before you swallow...a big dose of caramel that comes back and sweetens things up

M - Medium bodied...still crisp, lingering sweetness

O - I can only imagine how this one tasted fresh...a three year old bottle held up pretty decently...not as bitter as an ESB would be, but very nice caramel notes

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Greg for this one.

A: The beer pours a very murky dark brown color with a creamy off-white head with nice sticky lacing.

S: A nice nuttiness to the beer with some toasted malts. Still somewhat hoppy, actually. There's a bit of a rubber cement smell to it as it warms up, as is a green apple note.

T: Green apple and citrus hops. A bit of straw, and a light astringency. Toasted malts with a little bit of bread to it. A little bit of sweetness, but not all that much.

M: Medium in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Better than expected, but still plenty of flaws.

Massive Mega Scratch Beer Tasting @ the Meat Meet, 8.21.2010. Thanks Unclejedi

Scores reflect how the beer is drinking NOW, and not when released.

Hmm, a 2 year old ESB! Massive foamy head sits atop a deep gold / light red-orange brew. Smells dryish with light caramel biscuit nose. Alas, age has not been kind. Dry and slightly soapy with more than enough carbonation and fluffs up in yer mouth. This was probably good initially, not so much now. Lesson: drink your ESBs soon, kids.

Thanks to mikereaser for the opportunity.

Holy hula hoops, Batman! I cracked the bottle open, but got distracted before I could pour it. In a couple minutes it had a slow snake of tan foam coming out. A gentle pour resulted in a massive head that is taking a long time to die. Too much. Color is a clear orange-ish amber. When it finally falls it leaves a load of sticky lace.

Aroma is caramel, lightly fruity and a little toasted. Earthy, floral, and a hint of citrus.

Flavor is very well balanced with a nicely malty start, mildly fruity, toasted. A good sturdy bitterness kicks in and stays through the finish, earthy, a little pine.

The feel is a little watery and way over-carbonated. Bubbles are a little prickly.

What happened, Troeg's? Crazy carbonation. I might have expected an infection but the flavor is solid. This is my first 'off' brew from Troeg's. Do I still want another bottle? Yes!

A - Dark caramel brown in color with some golden hues around the edges of the glass. Hue, foamy off-white head with excellent retention. Almost meringue like on the top.

S - Despite being bottled about a year ago, hops are still very much the dominant smell in this one. A very earthy hop aroma. A nice bready backing to it as well.

T - Somewhat earthy up front with a pleasant hop bitterness present. Notes of bready sweetness mid-drink. The earthiness is presnt throughout the drink and leaves a very clean bitterness in the mouth.

M/D - Medium bodied and very crisp. Excellent carbonation and really good drinkability. The bitterness is of the very plesant type that certainly allows for many of these in a row.

My last bottle of 11. Poured into my nonic shaker glass at cellar temperature. Appears a clear amber color with a healthy two fingers of off white foam. A great looking bitter. Since this a Tröegs beer, I'm really not surprised by the amount of hops I'm smelling and tasting. Good stuff indeed. Notes of caramel malt, bread, and lemon are also evident. medium in both body and carbonation. Drinkability is ADL (all day long) with this bitter. Damn this is/was a great beer. I'll miss it.

My first taste of the Scratch series thanks to marcpal. Wave to the nice people, Marc!

I haven't had much in the way of ESB brews. This one is dark amber, with a subdued nose. Smells like beer.

Taste is pleasingly sharp. The hops are making their presence felt up front, but there's that underlying bitterness coming from another quarter. There's not quite enough of either for my taste, & the result is something with no depth that's pretty nice nonetheless. This baby is aggressively carbonated. I could have a few of these, goes down nice & easy.

Good beer. Everything I've had from Troegs to date has been good to excellent, so I'm looking forward to sampling more of their wares.

A: snifter. nice clear, light amber color. light massive tan head. great retention rate. outstanding lacing.

S: big earthy hop aroma with some nice roasted caramel malts. huge tart/acidic esters. light nutty tones.

T: hops right up front providing some very nice bitters. sweet caramel malts sit nicely. first sip had some major bite, but then it mellows out afterward. very nice taste for an ESB.

M: medium bodied, higher carbonation level than expected. nice bite though.

D: a little rough on the initial sip, but the brew really mellows out afterward. nice ESB, good taste, very enjoyable.

Bottle courtesy of mymrnngjckt poured into a pint glass.

Pours a clearish tea-colored amber with a one inch off-white head that lingers for a while. The constant stream of bubbles from the bottom feed a swirl in the middle throughout.

Some earthy hops open up the aroma with some caramel malts and toasted grains in the background. There also seem to be some spices in the mix as well.

The taste has a bitter zing up front with a solid grain presence and some earthy hops. There is a slightly peppery and dry finish. All the flavors really meld together in this one - very nice.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with tons of carbonation and very tingly throughout.

This is a nice bitter and probably one of the better Scratch series brews as an example of its style. Very solid.

got this in a trade with mikereaser

A- Nearly transparent concentrated auburn brown color that pours with a healthy foamy white head. Head slowly fades to 1 finger and leaves lacing all the way down the glass.

S- A hop bitterness shines through over a soft nutty malt background.

T- The hoppiness comes through most up front with a healthy nutty maltiness in the background. The bitterness intensifies a bit for the finish but is never overbearing.

M- Great mouthfeel. Medium carbonation and very smooth and creamy body.

D- Another great beer from Troegs. I've had a few other examples of this style and the others did not have a s full of a mouthfeel but were a hair less bitter.

Thanks to marcpal for the opportunity to try this one.

A-Pours a clear light amber with a solid white head and nice lacing.

S-Nice malt with a bit of graininess.

T-Some nice sweet malt on the front with some grain and a bit of acidic sourness. Taste fades before it reaches the back of the tongue, which is a little disappointing.

M-Crisp, a bit dry with moderately high carbonation.

D-Pretty good, especially for an ESB, which is not really my favorite style. Nicely sessionable.

HV

A 12 oz bottle.

A: The ESB is a moderate brown color that shows off auburn colors up close. Not much head to speak of, so I won't.

S: The nose has a resounding caramel body that is met with a crisp hop aroma. The hops has a profile that is similar to Hopback or Nugget Nectar, herbal and medicinal.

T: The ale has a strong caramel body, sweet and biscuity. The flavor is a little thin, quickly disappearing after a sip is gone. The hop profile, even after a few months in the cellar, has held up nicely. The flavors are very similar to those in Hopback, Nugget Nectar and Scratch 4. It always makes sense to stick with what works.

M: The flavor is quick to disappear but while they stick around they are nice. The hops, probably a little too strong for this style, are the best feature.

D: A decent esb but not one of my favorite scratch offerings.

thanks to phnphilly for this one . poured into yuengling pint glass

A. Nice copper body with 2 finger heads that retains and laces the whole way through.

S. Smells of light hops and malts. The only thing about this beer that doesn't wow you.

T. Bitter, dry, citrusy hops kicks your tastebuds to wake them up. Malts also make a showing but the hops lingers through the aftertaste. Damn tasty beer.

M. creamy mouth coating mouthfeel. I could definitely get into these.

D. Drinkability is good on this. Good full flavor beer that that could definitely be sessioned.

Wonderful beer. My first dive into the ESB category. I would love to try a few more ESB's and see how they hold up against this. Truly would be hard to beat.

Thanks goes out to Kegatron for this brew.

Poured into my Surly glass a very nice clean/clear dark golden amber/brown color, nice carbonation, nice one finger creamy off-white head, with some nice creamy sticky lacing. The nose is malty, with some hops, bitter. The taste is malty, nice hop touch, with some bitterness on the finish. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a tasty brew.