Sea Level Blue Heron Special Bitter

Brewed by Sea Level Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Port Williams, Canada

Serve in English pint

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Pours a straw colour, not what I’d expect from an ESB. Nice aroma, but piney hops don’t add to the style. Taste is west coast pale ale, not ESB. Way too much carbonation for an ESB, way too much hops, way too much bitterness. Not complaining about the fact that it’s bitter, but if you’re going to call something an ESB, them make an ESB, not a west coast pale. This beer isn’t half bad but it’s so far off the mark in style that I thought that this can might have been mis-labeled.

Elle est cuivrée et limpide et coiffée d’une mousse épaisse et persistante, qui dessine une dentelle significative en se résorbant. Des arômes de caramel, principalement, en émanent, s’ensuivent des odeurs d’épices et d’herbes salines. Très agréable en bouche, des saveurs d’épices sucrées nous imprègnent la bouche, alors qu’une amertume douce et civilisée balaie le tout pour laisser cette sensation amère pendant un bon moment. Une touche acidulée se pointe le nez. Surprenante ESB. Bonne bière. (344-10/110912)

500ml bottle. Amber pour with very little head, some lacing. Aroma definitely points to dry hopsing. Taste is dominated by the dry hops, some caramel and tart fruit undertones. Palate was disappointingly thin. Overall, quite good apart from the palate, but it tasted more like an American Pale (but a very good one) than an ESB, likely due to the dry hops process.

amber beer with an off white head. Citrus nose. nicely balanced hoppy taste.

650ml bottle. Pours a deep clear amber with light tan head. Big citrusy hops on the nose with a solid caramel underbelly. A little confused on the palate and lighter bodied than expected. Caramel sweetness up front but the hops and bitterness kick in on the mid-palate and flow through the finish nicely.

UPDATED: JUN 4, 2011 1L growler. Rich frothy head havig auburn colour. really hoppy on the nose, nice citrus notes and fresh pine cones, it also has a sort of creamy, frothy essence., it is fairly bitter on the palate with pine cones and an almost citrus notes. very nice stuff. one of my favorites in the province. Especially considering it is supposed to be an ESB.

bottle, courtesy of OKBeer. Pours a hazy dark orange with an orange-tinted finely bubble head that retains very well. Sweet sticky toffee aroma, notes of orange and pine. Sweet toasty toffee malts married to bright citrusy and coniferous hops. Finish is soundly bitter, marred slightly by a band-aid note that creeps in late. A lovely bitter.

Bottle. Pour is hazy copper with large beige rocky head. Aroma is quite nice; citrus hops with a malt backbone. very clean smell with notes of orange and maybe a touch of metal. Flavor is slight acidic malt with a nice hoopy finish. the lingering flavors are honey, malt, orange, and faint hop resin. Nice beer, better than expected.

A nice dark golden ale with a thin creamy off white head. In aroma, a nice biscuitty malt overlayed with British hops. In mouth, a nice ESB, with good biscuitty malts, a good dose of herbal British hops, very quaffable, herbaceous and piney. Medium bodied. On tap at brewpub, Oct. 10 2009.

Bottle courtesy of tuqueboy - thanks, Josh! A very fresh bottle, received by Josh from the brewery just a few days before he passed it on to me. Dark and clear amber-orange with a nice and creamy head. Both aroma and flavour have a great balance of malt that is both sweet (esp. toffee) and bready, and zingy, slightly citric hops. Hops build nicely as it warms, almost pushing into IPA land by the time I finish the bottle. Fine stuff indeed, very solid and sessionable.