BridgePort ESB

Brewed by BridgePort Brewing (Gambrinus Company)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Portland, Oregon USA

Pale orangey-yellow mist. Medium off-white crown has a nice smooth billowing to it. Keeps a skimpy skimming once it fades; which is about a minute. Fine, tiny stitched lacing clings in ink blobby sheets. Crisp nose with some citrus peelings and grassyness to it but seemingly more malty with cinnamon bread and caramel. Middle ground taster with small toasty breads, caramel sugars, and an uncresting wave of citrus hop dealings adding the significant amount of mild bitterness to it. Light grassy lean towards the finish and some off metalic notes. Clean, lighter in body with a firmer carbonation helping. Delicately well rounded with a partial emptyness in a couple spots. An easy drinker no doubt. Would make for a nice starter beer if looking to move up the scale to more prominent hops and body. Otherwise its sessionable beyond its 6.1% capacity.

ESB? Yes, but if the only ESB one has tried is Fuller’s, this one will disappoint. I found it a great amber pour with just the right hint of dry and bitter finish. I think it is a worthy brew and have recommended it friends looking for a different look at American ESB. If you are looking for a quaf, this is not it. It deserves a good look, would be great with good food.

Sparkling amber, creamy off-white head. Nice fruity ester nose followed up with touches of grains, toasted caramel and toffee. Flavor was very well balanced with toasted caramel notes up front, and light floral and fruity hops bringing up the rear. Medium bodied, soft carbonation, bittersweet finish. A near perfect session brew...

12oz bottle. Served (too cold) from the fridge at 39° in my NB worthy glass. The beer pours Mahogany red with a small off white head. There are floaties the size of freshly fine ground pepper. The aroma is malty with an earthy, perfumy, and floral hops aroma. The taste is caramel malt with some malted milk balls and a yeasty?, floury, almost earthy middle and not-too-hoppy finish with a sweetness and a bit of a floral taste. The mouthfeel is nice and full, it deserves a 3.5, if they were given. This is an easy drinking beer that is well made and enjoyable.

This beer barely qualifies as an ESB in book. It really isn’t bitter in the slightest. Only in the finish can you notice the bitterness and hops. It does get more difficult to finish it, however, so I had to adjust my final score now.

Thick white head with an orange tint; the beer itself is very light copper bordering on orange (most ESB’s are dark copper or rust). I feel too much malt is used in this brew. The aroma is definitely high-hopped, but in combination with the high malt level there are also ever-so-vague elements of machine shop oil and smoked salmon. Flavor is nice -- in the mouth the hops are pleasantly overwhelming as would be expected. But the finish is thin and sweet with a high alcohol presence. This brewery has some excellent products -- this is definitely ok, just needs a little work.

a clear and reasonably likeable session ale, a happy little wading pool for your thirsty tongue, it’s sienna and rusty as the underside of a train bridge. a butternut linen sheet of foam spreads over the beer, but fades to tattered antiquity in just a moment. a slightly sulfurous note intrudes upon an otherwise fine-- if modest-- aroma of cherry studded white cake, vanilla wafer, and a scent reminiscent of a watery glass that held scotch last night. sweet fruity malts and matchstick woody flavors coast on the back of a medium-soft carb, with a whisper of lemony bitterness.

bottle-Indiana_Red nailed exactly what i am going to say about this beer. Pours a deep copper hue with a small white head. Vigerous carbonation. Aroma is toasty, apple, with some english hops in there as well. Flavors are mostly carmel, cider, apple skins, with some spicy notes in the finish. Finish is fairly bitter earthy hops (ahh, its ekg). The apple flavor comes out more in the malt profile as the beer warms. palate is a little fizzy and acidic which is my only complaint here and i think it doesnt let some of the flavors shine very well. not bad.