Upstream Firehouse ESB

Brewed by Upstream Brewing Company
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Omaha, Nebraska USA

Date: 10/02/1996
Source: Brewpub

dark amber, whispy head, no aroma, slightly sweet malty flavor with a mild bitterness lasting through the aftertaste

Aroma: 4/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 3/10; Palate: 3/10; Overall: 7/20
Rating: 1.8/5.0
Score: *+/4
-------- /> The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Declining off-white head tops the cloudy amber hue. Very mild nose procures toasted grain and cereal, caramel maltiness that faced rather punchy citrusy and earthy hops that feel English in their soapiness, but that’s about it. Light bodied, watery texture, not very distinctive.

(Draught) Pours a deep amber color with little to no head. Okay brew....

Draft sample at Upstream Old Market. Poured clear copper color with an average creamy white head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate toasted malt and citrus hop aroma. Medium body. Medium bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. My expectations where met.

i tried this both on cask and on regular tap. The cask version was far superior with lots more hops character and my rating for it follows. The body was hazy dark copper with an off white head. The aroma was toffee along with some iced tea. The taste was bitter orange peels with some wood. This was solid with a smooth body.

Medium amber hue with very good head and lace. The aroma is very fruity (lemon, apple, grapefruit) with additional hints of buttery biscuit, aromatic hops, and leather yeast esters. The taste is a touch piney and grapefruity. A solid malt bakcground supports the acidic and bitter finish. Hints of sweet wood appears every once in a while. Lively and crsip mouthfeel. Good ESB, not fully tradional but not west coast style either, quaffable.

Cloudy medium amber with a fizzy head. Decent hop character in this one, with a sweetart candy tinge at the finish. On cask, it highlights the citric character and brings out a more smooth body. This was the hands-down favorite "local beer" for me while I lived in Omaha. Guess in the end, it’s just an average or slightly above-average offering, but I could drink gallons of it, too.

All the beers at Upstream come in a spectrum of colors. Sadly, none of these watered-down versions of craft brew style have any substance. Very light, some hop bitterness, poor head retention. All the trappings of a brewer who has been instructed to keep the beer light for the bud-drinking beautiful people.