French Broad 13 Rebels ESB

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

Not too great, overall a pretty weak and boring beer. Some wood and earthy malt. Not especially bitter at all. Lightly sweet caramel malts. Nothing stands out. Not as drinkable or crisp as I had hoped for.

22 oz. bottle that I received as a gift. Pours a hazy golden brown with a moderate off-white head that faded to a ring by mid-glass and left a coating of foam with each sip. Mild aroma of malt and slightly sweet smelling. There is also a hint of funk in the aroma. The flavor is a bit more funky than the aroma along with some weak malt. Seems apparent some wild yeast has snuck into this bottle; the second time in a week this has happened to me. Dry with moderate bitterness at the finish. A bit underwhelming.

Draft @ the brewery. Pours amber with a slight ring of head around the edge of the glass. Nose is more subdued than the flavor, caramel, some dark fruits, hints of herbal noble hops. Flavor is dark caramel, slightly fruity and nice dry hoppy finish. Very balanced and drinkable, light in body, big in flavor.

reminds me of a lush damp washington state forest. sweet spruce and fresh mint on the nose. clear oranged copper, white head. easy drinking and smooth, persistent earthy hops and crystal malt backing. i prefer my bitters and esb’s to be fuller but this is very satisfying in its consistency and sessionable character. dark cherry and plum dance lightly throughout.

Cloudy brown pour with a nice lasting head...Malty aroma...Bready flavor, sweet malt goodness...Moderate carbonation...Nice balance with a bit of hop bitterness in the finish...Good ale...

22oz bottle, super cool label. Light brown color, off-white foamy head. Sour aroma. I’m afraid I got a bad bottle. Yup. Tastes like buttered popcorn. Well, that kinda sucks, I was looking forward to this bottle, having a great experience with the Gateway Kölsch. I have also heard of some other bad bottles from this brewery, just not this style. Too bad.

Appearance: Lightly hazed, mahogany-hued body with a thinnish, whitish head. Smell: Aroma of toasted bread crumbs marked by notes of English hops and caramel (though light) and fruit (though even lighter). Taste: Lightly sweetish toasted malts with a touch of dry caramel. Slight fruitiness. Earthy, lightly herbal English hop character with a medium-plus bitterness. Finishes fairly dry with a recurrence of bready malts. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, a wee bit thin for my liking. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A worthy attempt at the style and an okay, perfectly drinkable beer. Personally, I’d prefer a slightly bigger body and greater inclusion of caramel flavor, but, again, that’s just me.

Location: 22 oz bottle from Greens Discount Beverage - Atlanta (Buford Hwy), 5/18/09
My bottle was labeled 5.2 % ABV, and had a light blue label with a similar logo as the black one pictured.

Aroma: Smells of biscuit, dark fruits, and spice
Appearance: Mildly hazy copper color, small head
Flavor: Nice balanced flavor, sweet bread-like malts and some decent hops, a bit nutty
Palate: Medium body, decently dry
Overall Impression: Has some qualities you might associate with an autumn beer, particularly the spice and nuttiness. An interesting beer, not great, but interesting.