AleSmith Anvil ESB

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
San Diego, California USA

I would buy this in kegs if I could, it’s just that good. I’ve really begun to love the ESB style and this may be the tastiest example so far. Almost copper in colour. This is nice and creamy with lots of fantastic sweet malt flavours. I think maybe some caramel or chocolate in there with a bit of a toasty note. There are some fruits in there, maybe a bit of apple - something I haven’t sen much of. This is really just a fantastic beer filled with great flavours, a bit of bitterness that balanced it out well.

Thanks to Foolish Mortal for this one. Pours hazy deep copper/ruby with minimal head. The aroma is caramel malty, with some brown sugar and subdued hops and fruit. The palate is complex and well balanced, but the whole thing left me somewhat uninspired. This beer caused me to conclude that my upper limit for this style is probably around 3.8 or so. If Alesmith can’t get this style above 3.6, then no one can.

Not much head, but nice, prolonged soapy lacing. Bottle pour. Conditioned in the bomber. But if you pour a settled bottle, the pour is crystal clear, albeit not copper or amber colored, but a dark red. Cocoa and raisins in the nose, maybe some coffee behind that, all malt. I am tempted to make a bold statement that AleSmith is the best brewery ever. Even though I don’t care for their Speedway, I can appreciate that every brew they produce is done with a lot of thought and precision. Each aroma nuance is a revelation, and then you get some surprising aftertaste, or a sneak of banana or date or peach...these guys know not only what they are doing, but how to twiddle and tweek already established styles. This ESB is not like British ESBs, although on the label they would want you to think it is a tribute to said style. Tthe malt characteristics are so rich, the chocolate and even mocha tones...thats not in a Fuller’s or any Brit ESB. There is a distinct lack of over-hopping, which some might argue is an irritatingly obvious trait in other styles of SD beer (I won’t argue that point even with a gun to my head, but I’ve heard it), but at the same time, one has to wonder why a brewery in the heart of over-hopped IPA-land is putting out an ESB that is all malt with only the most subtle of hop bits mixed in.. All I know is that this is one fine brew...maltier and roastier than you should expect from an ESB, but all the same enjoyable and entirely drinkable. Sweet, sweet, and sweet again.

Nice rich, deep copper color and a very small, thin head. Just a little sweet and a little hoppy but a nice simple beer overall.

Poured from an Alesmith growler, this had a nice deep amber color with a minimal white head. Malty aroma with some caramel notes. Flavor has notes of roasted malt, caramel, and some fruit. Very sublte hop aftertaste but is overall too sweet for my taste. Medium body and smooth, a good session beer nonetheless.

Good overall beer, however I was much more impressed with Stoudt’s Scarlet lady than this.

Bottle 22oz. Pours a clear amber with not much head. Very little carbonation. Scents of apples and hops on the nose. Roasted, carmelized, slightly coffee flavors mixed in with bitter notes that continue into the finish. Thought the roasted flavors overwhelmed the fruit and predominated the taste buds.

Courtesy of Boboski <!-- P --> Mild ale sweetness amd wholesome bready notes in the aroma. Orange/amber body with a wispy oil slick of a head. Grain-tinged fore is mild on the tongue with an equally mild hop profile. very grainy feeling and tasting and that invokes bread some biscuit and a general heartiness to the beer. Thicker feel than many ESB’s I’ve had and good overall flavor intensity.