Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard

Brewed by Laughing Dog Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Ponderay, Idaho USA

Pours a very dark amber almost chestnut brown color with very dark golden orange hues when held to a light source and a one finger light yellowish tan head that slowly settles into a lasting ring that leaves sheets of spotty lacing behind. Sweet caramel malt aroma that is slightly toasty with yeasty bread, biscuit and subtle rye notes. Earthy piny hops with slight citrus presence. The hops aren’t as prominent as I would like and the aroma is dominated by toasted malts. Medium bodied with a prominent caramel malt character and a nice balance of earthy bitter hops. Pretty sweet up front with toasted caramel malt, biscuit and rye flavor with a nice dry earthy pine hop presence that provides a nice bitter balance. Alcohol well masked resulting in a pretty solid easy drinking session beer.

Pours coppery orange with an off white head. Aroma is floral hops and light malt. Flavor is well balanced malt and hoppy bitterness.

Bottled@Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Thanks to the guys from Ölfrämjandet for sharing. Deep reddish orange colour, small off-white head. Aroma is malts, diacetyl, caramel, some grass and mild floral hops as well. Flavour is quite much the same, but more bitter and dry. Rather interesting ESB.

Very earthy grass like aroma. Clear amber with a nice white head. Flavor is malty sweet instantly followed by a very bitter finish. Clean and crisp aftertaste.

Bomber. Pours a clear, dark, red-orange amber color with a billowing head of rocky, khaki foam. Lasting for the duration, the head leaves flares and rings of broken, microfilm lacing on the glass. The aroma sports a toasty biscuit and caramel malt base, notes of sweet toffee and burnt marshmallow lending further malty depth. Floral hops and traces of orange peel lend bittering balance, while the bready yeast profile seems overly prominent, hinting at the slightest possible infection. Flavors are the same, toasty and bisuity sweet, very caramel driven, but balanced very well with orange citrus and bitter floral hops. The body is substantially greater than your standard ESB, smooth and creamy up front, transitioning to a dry, yeasty finish. I think I caught this one just in time, before it turned. Good bitter.

Serving: 22 oz. bottle. Appearance: Slightly hazy deep amber with a pillowy, light tan head. Very good head retention. Aroma: A malty, butterscotch nose that also has a slight fruitiness to it. Flavor: Malty sweet at first, then an acrid bitterness slowly comes in and sits on your tongue. Light fruit notes, especially white grape, lurk in there. Interesting, but the bitterness is a bit too much. Palate: Medium-low carbonation with a medium-light mouthfeel and a medium-long, oddly bitter finish. Overall: An interesting ESB, but not one I will come back to. The bitterness just isn’t in harmony with the rest of the beer.

Sick of the microbrew-yellow lab thing. But what a fine, clean, well-made example of American ESB. [Oh, I just noticed that the official description says "clean". Sorry]. But it is. You have had beers that taste like this before. This isn’t breaking new ground. It’s typical American ESB--a lot like the old Troegs ESB. But it’s made beautifully.

In short: An rough cranked-up ESB with herbal/tea character. Ok brew.
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed fresh a few weeks after purchase
The look: Clear golden copper topped by a medium beige head
In long: The herbal hoppy nose has a strong tea character. Taste of oily bread crust, iced-tea, soft caramel, butterscotch, cookies, soaked teabag, a little black pepper. Carbonation is soft, body is smooth and somewhat creamy. Rather astringent and with a short medium herbal bitterness. An overall rough/grainy sensation. The beer does have an English character but it is really Americanized, based on what I drank in England no Englishman would call this an ESB. The bottle has big C.S.B. letters on the label. Only when I entered my rating did I realize that it C.S.B. stood for Crotch Sniffing Bastard. I would not have guessed it, and that’s despite me being a Smart Original Bright person (people call me S.O.B. all the time).