ESB a.k.a Early Spring Beer (Sierra Nevada)

The ESB (Early Spring Beer) is a new offering from Sierra Nevada. For a long time now they've offered the same very solid beers, their Pale Ale being a gateway craft beer for lots of people. Now it looks like they are bottling more and more new things and I hope they continue doing so. 

Sierra Nevada's ESB pours a nice, clean golden orange color. The head is about a finger in thickness and perfectly white. It has a yeasty and sort of malty smell at first before a nice citrusy hop smell takes over. This is dry hopped with a boat load of hops so its not that strange for it to smell pretty hoppy...that is a good thing, right? I think so. This one almost smells like an IPA. Speaking of which, if you haven't had their Harvest Ale (Fresh Hop Ale) you have been missing out.

I am not a huge fan of ESBs in general since I kind of expect a little more from my beer and bitters always leave me begging for more. This tastes like the type of ESB I would drink a lot of. It has a nice bitter finish to go with the initial malty sweetness. Its not over the top in any way and is a very drinkable beer. By that I mean its got a lot of all around great qualities. Its nothing too crazy but its not boring either. Sierra Nevada has impressed me with almost all of their recent releases, with the exception of that IPA last year, which I thought was rather dull. Their Anniversary and the Harvest Ale were both excellent.

"Our ESB blends the best of English tradition with the boldness of West Coast style. Featuring English ingredients, we added a Sierra Nevada twist by leaving the ale unfiltered, which enhances mouthfeel and hop aroma creating a slightly reddish-copper hue,” said brewery founder Ken Grossman. - from www.sierranevada.com

Read my Q & A with Ken HERE!

BEER FACTS

Name: ESB (Early Spring Beer)

Style: ESB

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Location: Chico, California, USA

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Malts: Two-row Pale, Maris Otter & Crystal

Hops: English Challenger & East Kent Goldings also dry hopped with English Challenger, U.S. Challenger, U.S. Goldings, & Crystal

ABV: 5.9%

IBUs: ?