Maritime Pacific Salmon Bay ESB

Brewed by Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Seattle, Washington USA

I had this one on cask...a very good beer! It had a thick eggshell colored head that clung to the glass. Taste was super creamy and had a bitterness that sat on the tongue.

Draught. Wow, I love this beer. I haven’t had it in a couple of years. I’ll have to re-rate soon. The malt complexity comes out and balances the hops. Yum. A very drinkable tasty beer.

on tap-pours a thin white head that laces and amber color. Aroma is light caramel, citrus. Taste is medium malt-caramel/nutty, balanced nicely with (English and northwest?) citrus hops-slight bitter. OK/mild carbonation.

Nitro pour at Maritime in Seattle. Deep copper color, fluffy head with perfect lacing. Just a bit sweeter than the typical ESB. The hops swept evenly along the tongue however, balancing out the maltiness rather well. I wanted to sample this non-nitro, but other brews beckoned. I’ll just say: if you can sample this on nitro, do it that way. Really tasty!

Draught pint at Redbones on 11/30/06
Light peachy-orange body has just a hint of melonskin tone to it, while the white head is medium in size, but moderately well retained, frothy and providing of a moderate amount of lacing in rings. Clarity is medium-high. Not 100% clear, but nearly so. Well-carbonated.
Floral hop bouquet in the nose is quite intricate, not quite gentle in bitterness, but not overdone with it either. Spiciness and light citrus (lemons, tangerines) are present as well, with a supportive malt sweetness in the background. Sweet white bread, bits of graham crackers and a touch of fresh dough on the end, it dosent obstruct the hops, but helps temper the bitterness. Fruitiness follows, especially with warming, adding light pears, cherries and more citrus notes. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma. Fairly standara American pale ale under the guise of the ESB tag. So an American ESB, pretty much, though it’s not heavy-handed on the IBUs, nor does it have any hard citrus or pine. Definitely a good mix of European and American hops. No alcohol, flaws noted.
A light tea-like astringency is found at the beginning, with orange and minor grapefruit hints. This quickly gives way to a honey and vanilla like softness/sweetness that deepens and adds light caramel and richer honey malt notes. It comes right up to the point of getting too sweet and then stops, cut off by a brisk, but mostly engaging carbonation and hop bitterness. Some spicy and more floral hop notes dot the palate throughout, with light fruitiness combining with the maltiness as it warms. Very supple texture, the malt is soft and round. In that way, it’s quite British, but the hops are decidedly more bitter and of the American variety. A very well-done American ESB or whatever you want to call it. Fresh and flavorful.
Surprised by the relatively low ratings of Maritime’s stuff. Looks like the bottled versions of their beers are inferior to draught?

Copper color with a medium disapearing head. Finish is bitter, but still has some malt left to help balance.

Cask conditioned tap at Hilltop Ale House. Amber color with medium white head. Aroma is mild with fragrances of malt and earthy hops. Gentle and smooth, medium bodied, well balanced, and unassuming flavors of malt and hops.

Draft at the brewery
Golden orange and clear appearance. Roasty, nutty flavor with some wet charred and toasty bred malt flavors. Hops are oily, metallic and smooth. Smells a little sweaty.