Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer (ESB)

Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Chico, California USA

[Bottle] Pours a coppery gold with a small off white head. Aroma is some citric hops and biscuity malt. Flavor matches and doesn’t have any major notable characteristics.

07-Jul-08 (12-oz bottle: BevMo in La Jolla, CA) This 2008 Early Spring Beer is a Sierra Nevada product through and through. Remarkably clean, technically flawless and pushing the balance envelope toward a more hop-centric beer. Grainy malt base flavors with just a hint of caramely sweetness, but the maltiness takes the supporting role without calling attention to itself. This allows the moderately strong, floral and earthy hop flavors and medium bitterness to take charge, finish with authority, and define the beer, which so often is the case with a Sierra Nevada brew. Mildly fruity, no diacetyl, crisp and very clean, perhaps too clean and perfect because the beer lacks charm. Medium in body and carbonation. The nose is grainy, earthy, and a bit cheesy, but the beer isn’t caramely at all, and the delicate floral hop fragrance is easily overwhelmed by the other aromas if the beer is swirled in the glass. Golden-amber body, and unless the glass is held to a light source, the haziness almost conceals the streams of carbonation bubbles as they rise to the surface. The creamy, off-white head pours to an inch in height, settling slowly to a thin but complete layer, leaving a few large, dense patches of lace on the glass. A technically excellent beer overall, but like many of the Sierra Nevada products, it leaves me lacking in enthusiasm.

Pours a cloudy amber color with an off whte head. Aroma was if biscuts, a bit hoppy and some roasted malts. Flavor was pretty bland, liek all other bitters are, just at least some hops too it though.

Bottled
Hazy amber color, decent creamy off-white head. Aromatic hoppy, a bit yeasty nose. Aromatic hoppy, a bit yeasty flavor too. Some licorice, lacks on the malt side.

Copper pour with a small white head. Balanced aroma with a slight emphasis on grassy hops. Flavor matches the nose. Balanced and very drinkable.

Golden colour with an off white head. Malty, light sweet aroma with hoppy grassy and fruity notes. Hoppy grassy flavor with fruity and light malty sweet notes.

The beer is complex and for adults. Not for me, but I am an adult, ?? Aroma of strong pine, hops. Hops is the name of this beer. Pine at the end of the mouth before swallowing, full flavored. Lite head, decent lacing. Red in color at the top and carmel to lighter going down to the bottom of the glass.

Bottle. Almost orange-amber. Tall fluffy slight off-white head. Nose is floral hops, light citrus, caramel, and some grassy note. Taste is touches of caramel, earthy and floral hops, ripe fruits, and toasty malts. Body is creamy and smooth with a medium overall feel. Comes across and very drinkable and a session type beer. The finish brought out a touch more citrus, along with more fruit, earthy and floral hops, touch of spice, caramel, and bready malts. Rather tasty!