 jhumphries69 (523), Tyrone, Georgia, USA
Apr 19, 2008
12oz bottle. Pours mostly clear (slightly hazy) copper with gold highlights and a soft, pillowy, medium-sized, off-white head. The head laces the glass in thick, egg-white rings and a few pockets of foam floating on the beer never fully subside. The aroma is very malty with a touch of caramel. There is a touch of roast (very subtle chocolate character) and a light note of earthy hops (disappointingly light). The flavor starts malty and bready with a touch of residual sweetness around mid-palate. I think it has a bit too much crystal malt character and not enough hop flavor for an ESB, but it is still tasty and drinkable. The breadiness takes on notes of toast by mid-palate and a touch of fruity esters and some hops begin to become evident. The finish is malty with a balancing level of earthy hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is slick and medium in body. The carbonation is relatively low, but just right for bottled examples of the style (which is to say more than a cask-conditioned example of this style). Overall, a decent, drinkable ale, but not up to the same standard of most of Left Hand’s other beers (which tend to be fantastic).
marksahara (79), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Oct 6, 2008 From 12 oz. bottle into unchilled pint glass at Vortex Midtown. Beer pours a moderate copper colour with moderate white fluffy crown, 1-finger worth on a very timid unaggressive pour. Aroma is full of sweet malt and grassy/earthy hops, nothing too fancy but impressive when compared to other American ales. Strong malt backbone all the way through the taste, with a hop profile that starts strong and bitter and remains all the way through the full taste to the end, causing a crisp finish but just a little bitter. Medium-bodied with spritely carbonation in the beginning that helps leave the hop aroma lingering in the mouth afterwards. More like a malty pale ale than a hoppy ESB, but very decent if this is supposed to be the flagship beer. Would love to taste it on draught.
fonefan (4871), Ulfborg, Denmark
Oct 3, 2008 Bottle 12 fl.oz. @ chris_o’s Pre-GBBF Shindig 2008.
Clear medium amber color with a small to average, frothy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate malty, caramel, berry, moderate hoppy, orange, spicy. Flavor is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration, spicy. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (020808)
nqualls (422), Tennessee, USA
Sep 30, 2008 Bottle. Poured a clear amber with a two finger tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and earthy hops. Flavor reflects the aroma. Medium body with good carbonation and an almost creamy mouthfeel.
emacgee (1132), Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Sep 24, 2008 Pours a light copper brown. Coaxed a one finger creamy light tan/yellow head. The nose is pretty mild, some sweet malt in there, some caramel, some herbal earthy hop character. . The flavor is unmistakably....peanuts, no joke. I mean salted shell peanuts. Some grassy hops show in there too. I can’t get over the peanuts.
Magic_dave6 (4012), London, Greater London, England
Sep 9, 2008 Bottle at chris_o’s banter superman lovers iv got a string thong on my head tasting. Alround rating: An interesting american take on the ESB richer pale malts, grassy peppery and citrus hop. Nice one.
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