French Broad 13 Rebels ESB

Brewed by French Broad Brewing Co.
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Asheville, North Carolina USA

Had this on tap at the Bean and Barrel. Glad they let me try a small sample. This stuff was no good. Very astringent and overly waxy bitter. Some weird flavors too.

I did not think of this as an ESB at all, this came across more like a pale ale using English hops to me. Just average bitterness, slightly unbalanced, going back and forth from sweet to sour. Nothing special

Draft at Barley’s Tap in Knoxville. Poured a clear dark amber color with an average frothy white head that mostly lasted and produced good lacing. Good hoppy sour citrus aroma. Medium body. Moderate bitter hoppy citrus flavor with a medium bitter finish of average duration.

Date: 08/13/2005
Mode: Draft
Source: Barley’s, Asheville, NC

hazy light amber, thin fine cream head, light malt aroma, mild malt flavor with a lingering bitterness, touch of sweetness, a fine session esb

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Score: *4
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A slightly off amber pour with an off white head. A bit of maltiness and an esb finish. A very dry offering. The malt in this surprises me some. A medium bodied beer with very good carbonation for the style. A very refreshing drinker. I was a bit surprised.

Tasted on tap at Mellow Mushroom, Nashville. This ESB pours a light copper color Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is malty and caramel, with a hint of hops. A medium bodied ESB. Malts are caramel and toffee. Hops are slightly bitter and earthy. At first I was guessing an cross between an amber and a pale ale, an ESB seems about right. Hops are bitter but not aggressively so, and the malts are not overly sweet. Good balance. Nice carbonation. Would make a nice session ale. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter

A copper colored beer with a moderate white head. The aroma is malty with some citrus showing through mainly oranges and a bit of perfume. The flavor starts a bit malty with some caramel flavors. The bitterness begins to show up with some orange and grapefruit flavors. A nice session beer.

Nice malty flavor with some bitter hops at the end. Finish was a little flat. All in all, a very standard, but very enjoyable ESB, especially considering where it came from. A good session brew.