Alaskan ESB

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Juneau, Alaska USA

Head is initially average sized, frothy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark amber. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, caramel), moderately hoppy (grapefruit, orange, resin). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately astringent. It’s a bit abrasive in the mouth, being fairly citric and astringent, and the hops aren’t really my style (not all bad, but a little too green/resinous for me). But it does have a pretty good malt presence too. Good.

Creamy caramel malt aroma. Sweetish caramel, biscuit malt flavor, creamy smooth texture, mildly citric bitter balance in the finish.

Very nice beer! El sabor (un rico amargor) es casi perfecto al tomarla y despues de pasarla deja una buena sensacion. El aroma es una muy buena presentacion de lo que se va a tomar

Pours a copper color with a decent straw colored head that sticks around for a while. Aromas are hoppy, metalic and not as citrusy or flowery as some others, but appealing non the less. The taste is good and the mouthfeel lingers. It has a fullness, not watery and is quite nicely dry...no sweet aftertastes that I don’t like. One of my Alaskan favorites. It would be good to put this one in a taste-off with the Sockeye Red IPA and the Alaskan Pale Ale.

Definite hoppy overtones in the aroma but well done. A fresh-crushed caramel malt and a yeasty fruitiness with a touch of acrid (good) black malt complete the rest of the complex aroma. Red/ orange in color with a light tan head that dissipates quickly. Flavor is nicely balanced between a light caramel maltiness and pungent, sweet hops, though the overall impression is that the beer is quite dry. Nicely bitter and malty at the same time. A little less acidity and this beer would fatten up nicely for style.

Attractive copper hue with mild carbonation and a foamy, off-white head that left scattered lace. Pleasant sylvan hop character in the nose which also has abundant toastiness, caramel, and cherry. Nice balance of lightly sweet caramel malt, warm toasty bread crusts, and subdued hop flavor and bitterness. Would make a very good cask ale. This stood up to a long road in the bottle from Wrangell, Alaska to Washington, DC to Albuquerque, NM.

Nice copper amber color. Head disappeared quickly. Orange on the aroma, very smooth going down. Sweetness on the tale end of the finish. I haven’t liked many ESB’s, but this I would come back to readily. Poured this from a bottle I brought back from a trip to Alaska. Seemed to travel well.

Poured a deep ruby brown color with a thin light beige head. The nose was fresh and pungent with flowery hops and a huge buttery maltiness. The Taste started with a zip of citrusy orange, not as floral as anticipated by the aroma. A hint of caramel sweetness arrives with a slight buttery edge. The end brings a firm dose of hops finishing it off nicely. The feel was medium/thin, but the beer was extremely drinkable. This would be the perfect session beer as the taste is more than interesting enough to hold your attention.