ESB
Brown's Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance--Pours a lightish caramel/ nutty brown--more translucent than opaque, with little head. (I purchased a six-pack of these, and poured each one more aggressively. You can get a full, creamy head, but there's little retention.)

Smell--Immediately, I picked up a pretty good waft of faintly earthy, tangy hops and bitters from the pour. After that, I got notes of coffee and airy bread. However, I did notice a particularly metallic quality in the finish. Overall, though, I was impressed with the smell.

Mouthfeel--As the beer warmed, it felt a bit creamier, but overall I'd say this is uncomfortably watery. It felt more like a Pilsner than an ESB.

Taste--There are hints of complexity here, but nothing really wants to "pop," which seems odd, given the strong impression made in the nose. It is very well balanced, to be sure; hints of coffee and dark chocolate swim with bitters and give way to a surprisingly potent, flowery hop finish. But it's just like the volume is turned down to 2, instead of 7. There is also a big, metallic presence here.

Overall--There are hints of creaminess and complexity here that just really end up leaving me wanting more, particularly with the coppery/ irony way this beer finishes. I'm not really sure how, but the nose really outpaces the taste.

A - Pours a fairly clear brownish-red color with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head has pretty good retention and laces nicely on the glass.

S - Aroma has some nice light fruit (apple) scents, almost like a cider. There is some nice caramel malts in the background to balance the aroma.

T - Starts off with some sweetness from both the caramel malts and the apple flavor. Touch of tartness, but not overbearing. Through the middle some deeper malts come through alongside some bread flavor. The finish has a touch of hops alongside the sweet caramel flavors which lingers for a bit.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Moderately dry finish and mouthfeel. Nice and smooth and only a touch watery.

D - Very drinkable. Maybe not the perfect balanced expected for an ESB (not enough hops), but overall very tasty. The apple flavor is really interesting and nice.

A: big tan head, creamy. decreased throughout the beer, but always had a head until the last drop.

S: that fresh, grainy micro-brew smell. just a little malty.

T: definitely hopped, grain taste, some malt, alcohol then late hoppy tang. little too hoppy and unbalanced. Some yeast.

MF: full and heady, nicely carbonated.

D: nice, sessionable. fresh beer taste. I've had much better ESBs, but this is a nice IPA-like ESB. Did I mention it tastes fresh?

Overall: A drinkable ESB! Better on tap (the environment?) than out of a bottle.

Hazy, copper color. Three-finger starting head that settles slowly--foamy, lots of rockiness. Leaves plentiful ring lace on the glass.

Low hopped, highly caramelized aroma.

There's a metallic taste to the beer. The low hop continues making it taste closer to a mild or brown ale. The swallow is tart almost as if raspberries were introduced in the fermentation. I find the body to be thin with an above average level of carbonation.

Another new one for me, I was very thankful to have received this one as an extra a little bit ago. Served cold and poured into a pint glass, it was enjoyed on 11/01/2010.

The pour was a gusher, eesh. Five inches of tan head rise up and over the top of the glass, taking a good 5 minutes before it would even begin to settle down. Once it did though you could imagine the lacing that ensued.

Aroma was light, lots of hops and tea leaves coming forward. A touch of light grains as well, but nothing really sticking out to me as being outstanding or really different for the style. As I take the first sip though I am pleasantly surprised as I find the flavor to be quite enjoyable. A nice mix of piney and herbal green hops welcomes me with a smooth, subtle, and full body that really works quite well I have to admit. Nice mix of flavors here, grain and caramel malts coming through nicely and a piney aftertaste sits on the palate for a good few minutes once it passes.

Overall a very solid and traditional esb. I would have no issue at all with trying this one again, maybe not shaking it so much next time.

Tasted blind.

A: Hazy copper color with a quarter finger of white head with some lacing.

S: Little bit of apple, Caramel. It was a little cidery as well. Some malt comes through as well.

T: Starts off with stale malt. Touch of diacital but not much. Little bit of cardboard. Tons of apple. Little bit sweet in the finish. Finished clean.

M: Medium body. Very dry. Carbonation is light. Too dry for the style.

D: Tastes a little stale. Not enough hops present to provide balance. Possible fermentation issues. Much better on tap.

I'm in NY for a wedding so naturally I wanted to get ahold of some stuff I couldn't find in VA.

A: Poured into pint glass. It gave a deep amber color with two finger foam.

S: More malt aroma than I expected in an ESB. Hops were on the milder side.

T: Not overly bitter. The word bread comes to mind.

D: Definitely one that I would drink again.

The ESB pours and smells as if it is going to be a stronger & darker beer. The thick foamy head forms quick and sticks around for the whole length of the beer.

Surprisingly enough the beer is very bitter but the flavor after that is lacking. It smells like a dark beer (almost smokey) and delivers that flavor to a minimal extent.

All in all, for a local Troy, NY brewery I'm happy....I didn't expect it to be this good....god, I love local brews...they just seem to try harder.

12 ouncer, no freshness info. Pours semi cloudy, dull medium amber, khaki head, shows moderate retention and leaves moderate blobs of lace behind. Malty nose and suprise, a malty brew on the tongue. Very little going on here, malt, and more malt, but no real depth, complexity or intrigue here. Would work as a ho hum sessioner, but cant say I'm real excited or impressed with this one.

Served in a pint glass from a 12 oz. bottle.

A: Poured a ruby red with a white head that quickly cut down.

S: Earthy, malty smells right up front. Little bit of hops are also detectable. It also smelt a little sweet.

T: Biscuit and malt flavors were apparent up front with a little bit of subtle hops in the finish. A very sweet aftertaste was also present. I didn't mind it but it was a little distracting. May just be me.

M: Good body. Not too thick but it was enough to let me know I was drinking a good English style.

D: Pretty good session ESB. I wasn't overly impressed considering I like Brown's other offerings. Wish I could have tryed it warmer too. May have brought out other flavors I didn't get the first time. There's always next time...

12oz bottle purchased as a single from Oliver's in Albany, NY.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, it's a foamer, formed a 3 1/2" tan head over the clear reddish brew. Meringuey head falls ever-so slowly, with lots of chunky lacing. Aroma is bready malts, with an effervescent undercurrent. Taste begins moderately sweet, fruity in the middle, and then closes with a lingering earthy hop character and peeks of fruit again. Mouthfeel is a bit prickly, and drinkability is okay as well. Not quite as good as I had hoped.

Poured a murky copper hue with a three finger rocky tan head. There was very good retention and lacing.

The smell featured soft malts, grassy hops and a touch of metal.

The taste consisted of clean malts, a touch of tartness and spicy and grassy hops.

The mouthfeel was toward the thinner side of the style with a high carbonation.

Overall a good ESB. Certainly not the best, but unfortunately the best isn't being made anymore. Thanks Blue Point.

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle with no lot code or date of expiration on the label. Sampled on October 9, 2009. It pours brownish-amber with a one inch frothy beige head that sits on top of the glass for the entire session. The clarity is not so good...quite cloudy actually. The aroma combines some straight forward malts, light hops, and something akin to evergreen. Bold mouthfeel gives it that lick smackable sensation (and a great belch factor). The first impression of the taste is that it is a bitter style ale with a good dose of hops but then there is this kind of sour or tart fruit on the tail end. A fairly drinkable, likeable ESB with a character of its own.