Crooked River Original ESB

Formerly brewed at Crooked River Brewery (Snyder Intl)
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Frederick, Maryland USA

Nice ESB. Very hoppy and malty but not overpowering.

This beer was everything that an ESB is supposed to be. Great amber color with a small head and a bitter hoppy aroma. Flavor is bitter and citrisy ending clean and crisp.

Just wanted to re-rate and express my satisfaction that this great beer won the gold medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival a couple of weeks ago (Extra Special) Strong Bitter category. This is the best ESB I’ve ever tried. If you love a beer with great malty depth and plenty of delicious hops, this is the beer for you. Forget Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, if you had a Crooked River ESB, you’d never look back, I promise. I could drink this beer and this beer alone for the rest of my life - it’s that damn good!

Nice orange-amber color with full thick and creamy head. Slightly hazy. Nice lightly fruity aroma with hints of lavender and herb, orange and apricot. Mildly sweet up front, light fruit, no real caramel taste but still candyish in a way. Strong bitter finish: twangy and puckering. Light-med body and fairly smooth.

Yep, one of the lamest labels I’ve ever seen. I can’t stand it when breweries use the same template for all of their beers, and just change the name. Not only that, this bottle reads, ’Reach for a River.’ Who says that? Anyway, what is contained therein makes up for it. Medium amber body, with a diminishing, frothy head. Hop aroma is mild, much like citrus zest, and still quite earthy. Reminds me a little of gingerbread, with hints of allspice and nutmeg. Smooth biscuity malt, with a taut, drying finish. The texture is nice and round, and the balance is exemplary. This is a lovely session ale.

Very nice malt/hop mixture. Hints of sweetness are nicely balanced with a floral, medium bitterness hop aroma. Appealing deep copper color with a touch of roasted malt flavor. Never thought anything this good could come out of the Cuyahoga River.

Thick, creamy head with the hops and malts balanced like ying and yang. Well rounded. Hops stay with you at the finish. Nice lacing on the glass. Too bad it’s not brewed in Cleveland anymore.

One of the great ESBs I’ve had in a while. Very solid: a assertive hop character with English Fuggles I presume, and a sweet, smooth finish. Well done.