Sierra Nevada ESB (Early Spring Beer)
This brand new ESB from Sierra Nevada pours a pure orange amber with some bright golden highlights. The snow-white soapy head takes a decent while to recede and leaves some spotty lace. Plenty of small rising bubbles can be seen as well. A nice deep color and a tall rocky head make for an attractive looking brew. Bright and hoppy with a pleasantly sweet malt backbone. Citrus and honey with a hint of a bready character as well. The pleasant surprise really lies in the big bitter hoppiness. I've grown to expect a lack of hops in many ESBs but this one really delivers in the little green cone department. Lively and bitter in the flavor as well. Citrus and piny hop character throughout with some more mild caramel malt that provides a nice sweetness and citrus: lemon and grapefruit. Good floral notes along with a faint nutty taste. The sweeter fruit really comes out in the finish; less lemon/orange and more of a tropical citrus and apple fruit feel. Very tasty and flavorful with plenty of hoppy bitterness; much more than expected in fact. Really tasty and well balanced. Smooth and bright with a more matted buttery finish. Juicy with some lingering bitterness. Moderate carbonation and a medium bodied throughout. I would consider the drinkability very high do to the moderate ABV and a balanced, flavorful character. I expected a more mainstream ESB to be as mild or milder than many out there but this is actually one of the more robustly flavored renditions of the style I've had. Really excellent.