Alaskan ESB

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

on Tap Hamilton’s. Wet pallete and rmid bodied ale with a nice rich auburn color and great head retention. Biscuit, caramel and a crisp dry hop finish. A really good ESB

Great classic bitter pour...golden and foamy. The nose is a bready caramel malt and substantial earthy hoppiness. Flavors are likewise caramel bread dough and biscuity with a nicely balanced bitter hop bite...earthy and pretty substantial. Very satisfying, yet, ironically, extremely repeatable!

Bottle Code of A082007, Sampled September 2007
Pours with a brilliantly clear, deep, ruby-red color and is topped by a frothy, initially three-finger thick, amber-tinged, tan colored head that leaves some lacing on the sides of the glass as it slowly recedes. The beer has an interesting aroma of strawberries that I notice as I am pouring this brew into my tulip glass. Closer inspection of the aroma makes out that fruity note to be hop derived, though it seems more like a combination of candied citrus peel and berries than of the initial strawberry note. A herbal / pine like hoppiness is also here, and at time is fairly noticeable. This really has an enticingly hoppy nose to it; I am quite enjoying it. Sweet, caramelized malt sugar notes and toasty grain aromatics form a backdrop to the up front, more dominant hop character.

A slightly creamy mouthfeel, that has a touch of fizziness from the carbonation. The beer is quite quaffable, fairly light, yet substantial enough to be noticed as it sits in the mouth. The beer finishes with a solid bitterness as well as a menthol like herbal flavor, both of which contribute to a lingering astringency on the tongue. The beer is only lightly sweet (though I had a lemonade recently so take that for what it is), but has a rich caramelized grain character. There also seems to be a touch of toasted malt, almost even chocolate character here; this is fairly subtle, but adds a nice, extra dimension to the malt. The hops and malt combine to give this beer a nice fruitiness that reminds me of oranges, berries and maybe even raisins.

This is quite a nice beer; it is very quaffable and I would definitely be happy drinking quite a few pints of these (before I know it, my 12oz pour is gone). I really like the hop character here and how it combines with the substantial, yet secondary, malt character.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

dark amber in color with a medium off-white head. smell - citrus, hops (smells very bitter),roasted pumpkin seeds. taste - a bit metallic, bitter, some orange is in there too, leaves the mouth on the dry side. good beer, a little watery for me and i wish it was more bitter.

8/12/2007: Alaskan ESB produces a nice pour. It is a beautiful, clear rich honey/amber-orange color with a lasting, frothy beige head. The carbonation looks just right and well dispersed. The aroma exhibits a caramel maltiness with a nice, citrus and pine hop presence. The flavor is a bit earthy and is well-balanced between a nice caramel maltiness and a gentle, yet somewhat substantial hoppiness (floral with hints of orange and pine) that’s perfect for style . This beer has a medium body and is soft, smooth, and mellow on the palate. Overall this is a good ESB that is right on the money. It is flavorful, true to the style, moderate alcohol, and hightly sessionable. I’ve had a few beers from Alaskan Brewing Company and am continuously impressed with their offerings.

12 fl oz bottle (K A090407) from bitbucket. Thanks Bob! Rating #143 for this beer...

[436-20070725] 355mL (w/ jerc, tuqueboy). Faint wheaty yeast aroma, some malt. Clear, dark red amber body with a medium-lasting foamy off-white head. Nice malty flavour that’s a little hoppy. Medium body is slightly astringent. Nice blending could be pepped up a little more.

Bottle courtesy of Mabel’s parents. Dark amber body with a small fluffy off-white head. Lightly earthy, moderately hoppy aroma. Similar flavour, sweet notes of caramel malt. Earthy, lightly astringent finish. Pleasant bitterness with brief hints at citrus. Average to thin palate. 7/3/7/3/14

A thin, mostly diminishing off-white head tops a translucent amber with rusted copper highlights. Spotty lacing is nicely, evenly dispersed. Floral, earthy and garlic scented hop notes lead in the aroma. Very hoppy, more than expected. Onion, orange and chamomile scents appear next. the nose has plenty of toasted malt, as well as substantial backing semi-sweet caramel. This really doesn’t seem like a pleasant blend, especially when repeated nosing yields a burned caramel character that starts to overtake what awkward hop profile already made it’s case to the court. The flavor is a bit more pleasing but it’s also rather muddled. Bitterness is moderate, sweetness is as well. Astringency grows steadily. There are some nice cake icing notes that develop after each sip. Finishes mildly bitter, fading to caramel, weird and vegetal. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with zippy carbonation and a good overall balance in weight and aggression. Not bad, not something I’ll return to either.