RateBeer
   Home Sign Up or Login Advanced Search
   People Ratings Events Places Forums Shop Magazine
      Top By Category  RateBeer Best  Latest Ratings  Top 50    

Home > Brewers > California > Sierra Nevada Brewing Company >

Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer (ESB)

Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer (ESB)

* picture credits
copyright may apply

 Percentile 
78
overall
A Premium Bitter/ESB brewed by
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Chico, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution
Find this beer

Add Distribution Data
Send Corrections

 Ratings  Average  Score  Seasonal  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
5173.4/5.03.4/5.0Spring5.9%86 English pint P  Stats

Commercial Description:
Our ESB blends the best of English tradition with the boldness of West Coast style. A blend of malts featuring British-grown Maris Otter is balanced with the earthy spiciness of hand-selected English and US hops. The ale is left unfiltered which enhances mouthfeel and hop aroma creating a slightly reddish copper hue.

Most RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 IPAndy (119), minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/104/516/20

Jan 31, 2008  
Sweet bready aroma. Light brown color with white foamy head. Sweetish flavor quickly turns into a long, spicy and slightly citrusy finish. Nice beer.

 Beer_Hawk (673), Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/513/20
Aug 20, 2008  
Draft @ Flying Saucer - Nashville. Amber in the glass with an off-white head. Sweet floral aroma. Malt caramel flavor backed with hops and light spices. Light to medium body.


 Blom (605), Odense, Denmark
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/516/20
Aug 19, 2008  
Copper coloured with a dense head. An aroma of pine forests and tropical fruits kindle my interest at once. It doesn’t excactly smell British, but more like an American Pale Ale. The flavours are bitter like grape fruit and citrus, but with a nice malty contrast in the form of cookies and toasted white bread. It’s hard to spot any flaws in this ESB!


 shalloWMeans (113), Florence, Kentucky, USA
3.5 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/57/104/514/20
Aug 17, 2008  
This well hopped version of a classic British ESB, when poured, is a lively copper orange- the color of a spring sunset. This is topped with a creamy head and a light unfiltered haze. In the aroma, an immediate hop presence brings tangerine, ripe mango and grapefruit notes. It’s fresh, energetic, and vibrant with an undercurrent of toasty sweet malt. The taste is a perfecto balance of sweet and dry, though the hops are a lot more over-the-top than a normal ESB (not a surprise coming from Sierra Nevada). There is a very fullfilling malt presence in the mix, bringing a slight hint of breadiness, but again, the hops dominate, bringing a tropical pineapple and citrus tang to the beer, leaving an "extra bitter" mouthfeel that’s creamy yet sharp, exciting and energetic. This makes for a very appetizing ESB. As the beer warms it seems to lose a bit of it’s bitter hop edge and gain a bit more fruity malt. Great for spring or summer drinking as intended. Not entirely representative of the style, it’s more like an APA. Overall though, I give this beer an 8/10 for drinkability, which I suppose is really what a good premium bitter is all about.


 Bragesnak (1134), Aarhus, Denmark
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/515/20
Aug 14, 2008  
From Skjold Burne, Aarhus, DK. Bottled. 140808. Amber with some head. Aroma of fruit notes. Flavor of malt and a nice back of hop bitterness and spicy tones.


 Bov (4604), Bienne, Switzerland
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/57/104/515/20
Aug 8, 2008  
courtesy of Tony Flükiger - hazy red-amber colour with a little beige foam; fresh fruity hoppiness (melon and passion fruit); good malt body; tart and fairly bitter fruity finish; long lasting




WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE RATINGS?
Then join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings.

Desired User Name
*
Valid Email (Needed to verify your account)
*
Relax. RateBeer is 100%, guaranteed spam-free. That's our promise to you.

I agree to the terms of the RateBeer User Agreement

RATE THIS BEER

Aroma

rating assistance

Appearance

rating assistance

Flavor

rating assistance

Palate

rating assistance

Overall impression

rating assistance

TOTAL SCORE

Comments

More Premium Bitter/ESBs

Crooked River Original ESB (3.89)

Old Chimneys IPA (3.74)

Goose Island Dorset Bitter (3.74)

Full Sail ESB (Extra Special Bitter) (3.72)

Rogue Brutal Bitter (3.72)

Tröegs Scratch 11 (3.7)

Hopdaemon Dominator (3.68)

Barleys J. Scott Francis ESB (3.68)

Bedondaine et Bedons Ronds Amère Veilleuse (3.68)

Schlafly Winter ESB (3.67)

More California Brewers

Lockdown Brewing Company
  Folsom
San Diego Brewing Company
  San Diego
Rock Bottom San Jose
  Campbell
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
  Buellton
Big Bang Brewery
  San Francisco
Rafters Grille & Brewery
  San Rafael
Humboldt Brewing (Firestone Walker, Nectar Ales)
  Arcata
Magnolia Pub and Brewery
  San Francisco
Tuscan Brewing Company
  Red Bluff
Elsa Wine & Mead
  Orange
Beerguy
  Carmel
Third Street Aleworks
  Santa Rosa
Graffiti Restaurant
  Petaluma
Oceanside Ale Works
  Oceanside

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Add A Brewer | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Log out | Feedback? | Copyright 2000-2008, RateBeer LLC