Spinnakers Mitchells ESB

Bottled at Stockholm Beer Festival 2007. A deep red beer with a huge tan head. The aroma is sweet matly with a stinging note of British hops. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of straw, elderberries, and other spices, leading to a very dry and bitter finish.

Bottled at Stockholm Beer Festival. Hazy dark amber, rich head. Dry with dusty berry aroma. Medium bodied with clean mouthfeel. Roasty malt is dominant, some grapefruity and grassy hops comes through as well. Salty lingering finish.

Bottled@SBWF2007. Deep ambery colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is really oniony, citrus fruity and has abig malty and grassy peak. Flavour is hoppy, salt watery and malty. Wellbalanced even though it’s slightly watery.

Dark amber colour. Some leafy hop in the nose with light toasty malt notes. Light leafy notes and sweet caramel in the creamy body. Good, but somewhat limited. This beer used to be one of the finest beers in Canada, and an exemplary rendition of the style. The leafy hop notes were more pronounced then - fantastically refreshing and the malt were as juicy as any I’ve ever tasted. It’s slipped.

Cask handpull at Spinnaker’s, Victoria. Crystal clear pale chestnut colour with lasting beige head. Lovely malt on this, some hop/yeast. Choccy, bit creamy in mouth, lacks deep malts in mouth, more creamy toffee choc. Finish lacks much hop.

Bottled@SBWF 2007
Clear copper brown color, small white head. Nutty and hoppy aroma. Nutty malty flavor, not really an ESB-like, but nicely balanced ale. Woody hops in the aftertaste.

on hand pump-pours a foamy/bubbly light tan head and amber color. Aroma is mild malt, light/medium fruit. Taste is light/thin body, some medium malt, English? And faint English? Hops. Mild/minimum carbonation.

Any first impressions?
-A veil of foam covers the clear orange-red.
-Peachy sweetness envelops the timid wet, earthy hoppiness and sparse mushrooms.
-Fruitiness is prevalent, and rather juicy, as disparate hoppiness fails to make a decent showing.
-The low carbonation ably emulates a cask serving, as decent maltiness offers just enough to get your teeth into.

What if you dig deeper?
-The hoppy bitterness efficiently dries up the back end with its moist soil-like earthiness.
-Balance isn’t achieved as hops are too subdued for 3/4s of the sip, mostly showing up towards the end.
-An okay bitter if you like the fruity display and quiet mouthfeel, but a probable disappointment if you have a hankering for a chewy, reasonably hoppy ESB.

Bottle; Nov. 14, 2006 (bottled on, or best before?).