AleSmith Anvil ESB

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
San Diego, California USA

Thanks to Lord Gorlock for slipping this in to me under the noses of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Beautiful deep amber color with a thick white head. Mellow nose of hops and malt in just the right proportions. Nice malty flavor with a bit of bitterness in the background, makes this a real well done brew in a style that’s under appreciated in the U.S. We need more ESBs like this one.

I had this at the Great Arizona Beer Festival in Phoenix. Nice aroma and nicely hopped.

Very thick looking brown texture. The aroma is like i just smelt a pecan pie that has cooled down to room tempature. Flavor consists of brown sugar, pecan, with some spciy hops. Nice overall but i’d like a actual head and more hops on this to make it worth the cost.

A hazy amber beer with an orange head. The aroma is very hoppy on a subdued sweet background. The flavor is hoppy and flowery.

Bottled: Orange coloured. Clear. Beige medium sized head. Lastning. Hops, hops, hops and hops in the aroma. Notes of fruit and malt tries to compete with the hops. Some spices, fruit and hops in the flaovur. Rather sweet. Is very well bitter in the end. Nice one. Thanks to Jeppe for sharing yet another good one.

(update) Cakey off-white ring of head. Toasted grain aroma with melted toffee, nuts, rotten apple, and soggy hop leaves. Soft, natural carbonation, but seriously lacking in fullness. Initial tingle of acidity and slick fruitiness hampers the body, which prevents the malts from latching on to the palate and lending more much-needed thickness to the flimsy body. Midway, the flavor takes on a soft butter toffee accent along with some minerally and grainy harshness, but the wateriness remains, as does the overt fruitiness. Distant earthy hop twang fails to take shape. Simplistic, dull, and wet finish, yet with a flash of dryness, as well, from the firm toastiness, while “off” alcoholic flavors of varnish and rotten apples pull through amid malt-inhibiting apple fruitiness and melon seeds. Surprisingly unsatisfactory and far too fruity and not nearly malty enough. I couldn’t even finish the second-half of the bottle, which was purchased from a closed case at the brewery, btw. Within the last year or two (did Skip V take his champion yeast with him???), something has gone seriously awry at AleSmith. By the judging of this alone, my mind has some serious doubts.

Rich coppery peach. Loose, semi-rocky light beige foam. Mild flowery hop fragrance is bolstered by perfumey air, caramel, and refined malts. Malts are rich and bready with a light dusting of brown sugar. Fluffy, feathery carbonation. Soft, yet dull on the palate. Airiness cuts the powdery malt flavors right away, giving way to persistently rich caramel. Hard minerals and brisk malt components add more firmness to the body which are then softened by flowery hop notions. Lightly sugared caramel malt flavors somewhat sweeten the brew amid a tasty interplay of roasted nuts, caramel, a drying mineral feel and gentle flowery hop notions. Finishes remarkably balanced, dry, and firmly stony, yet with a thinning body with flashes of caramel and flowery, earthy hops. Yeast pour punctuates the caramel while softening the body and adding more chalkiness. This epitomizes balance and complexity for a low-gravity ale. Its only downside is the subtle acidity, fizzy carbonation, and watery body. Just shy of spectacular. (8,4,8,3,17)

Pretty amber color out of the bottle with a HUGE off-white head (I think the bottle was over carbonated). Nose had some hops in it but mostly pit fruit. Nice fruity flavor with apricot and berry sweetness to it. Nice balance. Good session beer.

Aroma is piney hops with a solid maltiness. Flavor is hoppy followed by mlat that false just short of perfect balance. Very nice ESB.