Olivers ESB

Location: Cask at the Pratt Street Ale House, 9/6/09

Aroma: Big nose of grassy hops, citrus, fruit, earth, sweet malts, herbs
Appearance: Red-orange color, lasting off-white head
Flavor: Nice malty flavor with a big flavorful hop backing, a nice sweet & hoppy taste
Palate: Smooth, long duration, medium body 3/4
Overall Impression: Seems like this is suppose to be their flagship beer...I thought it was pretty solid, and a nice example of the British style of this beer.

Sample at the brewpub. The beer is a mostly clear dark amber color with a medium thin white head that disappears quickly. Spotty lacing. Aroma of earthy hops and a hint of hops. Medium body with flavors of malt, mildly spiced hops and touches of ripe fruit and wet cardboard. The finish is earthy malt with a short hoppy aftertaste. Disjointed overall, slightly above average.

Copper with a fizzy white head. Malty pungent aroma. Metallic citrus bitterness on the back end.

Firkin @ DuClaw Real Ale Festival. Orange and brown pour with a light white head. No carbonation at all. Grassy hop aroma with no malt aroma. Slightly sweet malt flavor, grassy hop bitterness (but not overly done), stale tasting. Average ESB. A bit too warm and thin.

on hand pump-pours a thin off white head and amber/copper color. Aroma is light/medium malt, herbal/medicinal, slight tart apple. Taste is light/medium malt, herbal/medicinal, slight tart apple, nutmeg, English yeast. Minimum carbonation.

Handpulled at the Wharf Rat, Fell’s Point. Cloudy rust orange appearance and a froth of feathery white. Herbal pear and chamomile aroma; dusky, grassy, gingerly spiced. Hidden fruit characters, wet toast and honey. Flavor of zesty orange and lemongrass fruitiness and heavily starchy, sweet malt; dry almonds, and a musty woodchip and grass hamster cage quality; perfumey floral bitterness tends to subdue that a bit. Honey dominates mid palate; more rich malt and less cumbersome residual sugar; a touch more basic floral hop character to lend some cooling leafiness would be perfect. Medium uncarbonated body is chewy and somewhat watery; finishes cleanly with dry english hops and some unsweetened tea. Well developed.

Cask pint @ Frisco Grille leaves a finely bubbled thick foamy head on top of a murky, muddy dark amber body. The nose is at first heavy diacetyl, with some olives and olive oil and some greenish, wet, English hops (a bit catty too). Smooth and moderately thick, wet all around but not sweet, and more of the same butter and olive and olive oil with a smaller dose of green vegetables and hop leaves. Not digging it, sorry.

Cask @ Frisco’s. Pours a hazy, amber-red color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Light aroma: toasty, stale malts and overripe red fruits; a touch watery. Medium mouthfeel: relaxed carbonation; red fruits, stale malts, and a touch of mineral hoppiness; alright, and pleasant in the mouth, but a touch watery and a touch stale. Disappointing. Medium finish: bready, red fruit maltiness, and some residual sugar.