Anderson Valley Boont ESB

I haven’t tried this since they called it Belk’s ESB, but it was never my favorite of theirs. Bitter, but not terribly memorable or complex.

bottle 355 ml
Appearance: great mid amber look with extra large creamy snowy cap. Good lace shown. 4+
Nose: soft mineral hp character with gentle blend of malts. Clean and more like malty Bohemian than ESB.
Flavor/Palate : Medium bodied. Malty lighter centre with more definite bitter hop walls. Soft with hop crispness. Earthy mineral finish with light fruity bitterness and hint of alcohol. Well composed smart ale. Brewmaster knows what he/she is doing.

Sample glass from the brewery. Didn’t quite fit the category of a traditional ESB. Strong bitterness it was lacking. Nose of floral buttery hops, flavor was of the same.

Clouded amber underneath a rocky white head. Aroma is herbal and earthy hops, spicy notes, buttery malts, dough and caramel. taste is rather sweet with more earthy hops, light spicy notes, caramel, hint of toffee and citrus fruits. Body is medium with dense carbonation and light-medium overall. Carbonation gets a bit tingly in spots. Ends with more earthy hops, spicy hops, light floral notes, caramel, hint of honey, sweet malt, soft herbal notes and toffee. Not bad.

I like Nik’s comment, definitely bitter but not really extra special by any stretch. This is however, clean and quite sessionable. Pours a kind of off kilter amber with a small white head. Bittermess prevails in the nose, very piney with some simple caramel malts backing up the bitterness.

It is bitter, but is it extra special? No. It is really bitter though. Solid foam but brutal lingering aftertaste (as advertised I guess). Metal with almost a fake sweetness...really sweet. ESB is by no means my favorite variety, but this seems flawed. Great lacing but chill haze / murky orange color (yes I kept the yeast in the bottle). Glad I only bought 1.

12oz bottle. Pours hazy orange with white head and nice lacing. Bitter hop finish.

Bottle: Alcohol is a bit to overpowering over all other flavors. Food pairing: Smoked Salmon.