Sweetwater Motor Boat

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Serve in English pint

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Bottle. Pours murky light amber with a thick creamy head. Faint aroma - clean hops with a hint of spice. Very mild flavor - this is supposed to be a bitter? Smooth, clean, slightly sweet, flavor of hops, some grass and a hint of orange. Tiny bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. Sweetwater has decided to redefine ESB I guess.

The palate to Sweetwater Motor Boat Ale is everything I would expect in an American Pale Ale, but since it’s an ESB (extra special bitter), it’s not exactly what I want in the style. That’s not to say I’m all about conforming to style, far from it, but there’s something to be said for expectation. This beer is nothing like Wells Bombardier or Fuller’s ESB, and is more akin to any standard American Pale Ale.

I received a 12oz bottle in a beer trade with Ding. I poured it into a nonic pint glass.

Appearance: Hazy brown/burgundy hue. Forms a large, beige, frothy head which is slow to dissipate and leaves plenty of lacing on the glass.

Smell: Light citrus notes, especially orange. A sweet candy scent and a hint of pine needles.

Taste: Sharp bitterness right away with a light sweet orange candy flavor through the middle. The hops impart a significant bite and dry astringency throughout the second half of the swig. The aftertaste is a lingering bitterness but nothing intolerable. I’d definitely prefer a stronger, more balanced malt character, but the by-the-book hop profile is at least satisfying.

Drinkability: This is a perfectly medium-bodied beer all around. A crispness to the body that’s not overly fizzy. It goes down smooth and is actually quite refreshing while in the mouth, though it is rather drying afterwards. Sweetwater Motor Boat Ale has a lot of flavor for 5.6% ABV and sits much lighter on my system than most beers of that potency. Ideal for dinner, but too strong to session.

Bottle. Murky amber orange pour with a smaller white head. Floral, citrus, and some cracker. Solid.

12 ounce bottle pours copper with a off-white head. Aromas of bread, malts and a bit of floral. Taste is the malts and a little bitterness from the hops. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

12oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. Pours a dark orange with a small white head and lots of lacing. Huge aroma and taste of citrus and hops that is as strong as an IIPA. A little overwhelming on the citrus though. Finish is dry and bitter, as it should be. Palate is medium and creamy. Very nicely done.

UPDATED: OCT 24, 2012 Medium copper color. Nice malty presence in the background, mostly bread with a bit of crust. Some earthy hops there as well with a slight floral character. Flavor has a nice bitterness to back up the bread. Medium body and a bit chewy. Well done ESB.

Floral aroma with bitter front and end, sweet notes in the middle. Crisp amber. Good color. Good ESB. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle..Another very good beer from Sweetwater. Extremely floral with the hops standing out. Nice lace. A slight bit murky amber. One of the better American ESB's for sure! ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Tap. Deep amber with small head. Very good bitter. Big english hops. Excellent ESB.

Tap. Pours hazy amber brown with a small tan head and some lacing. Aroma is grass, hay, caramel. Taste is about the same, herbal and with a light rye spiciness, lightly sweet, light bitter, lightly astringent.