theisti (5540) reviewed Luna Sea ESB from Empyrean Brewing Company 16 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
12 oz bottle purchased at Beertopia in Omaha, Nebraska. Best enjoyed by 08/09 (it was notched on the line between the two) YR 09 on the label. Pour is hazed orange, golden brown with pretty settling that builds up an off white two inch head. Head falls with nice lacing. Aroma of toasty fresh malt, some soft caramel biscuit - fresh, soft and inviting. Taste is the toasted, slightly sweet caramel biscuit maltiness, along with a sharpness of hops, that was unexpected from the nose. In the aftertaste the toasted aroma turns to a bit of a burnt charred afair that detracts a bit. Palate is medium, coats the mouth nicely, medium carbonation with lingering acidic bitterness. Nice enough beer, would love to try it on draft.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Courtesy of our beer traveler Tpd975. Pours light hazy brown with beige head. Aroma and taste, of nice sweet vanilla, light roasted malts with the right touch of coffee. Was expecting a lot more sweetness of the vanilla beans. Woudln’t mind trying some more.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5.5
(Rerate - accidentally bought a sixes of this without realizing I tried it in the past and hated it - must have had an off bottle - what I have now is decent - fairly smooth maltiness of nuttiness and caramel - very light smoke - earthy bitterness in the finish - a little thin, but decent) Thanks to valpoaj for this - completely clear, fizzy brown beer, with almost no head - very bland aroma of light grain and caramel - spritzy, soda-like carbonation in the mouth - thin flavor, with light peat, some roasted graininess, some nutty flavor - tastes like they used adjuncts - a little alcohol warmth in the throat - pretty uninteresting all-around.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Experimental bottle-conditioned version of the current draught at the brewpub Short-lived dirty-beige head over hazy orangeish beer. Much banana, a whiff of coriander, hint of cloves; estery. Sweet & very spicy (pepper, ginger, allspice) - fruity (banana, orange, apricot) jumble, as other yeasty esters. My wife claims a bit smoked, liked smoked sausage, but I cannot find that. Good balance, not too fruit-mashy. Wheat slickness, rather well-bodied. Very nice Hefeweizen. A lot of the German ones don’t come close! Thanks to MattD - and brewer Jim, of course
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Bottle-conditioned version with Celis-yeastclone Bit copper-shot yellow gold; smallish white rim. Spicy nose, faint citrus (lemon, grapefruit, Ugli). Dry grains taste, even cornflakes. Not more than a hint of citrus in the palate, no sourness taste-wise. A bit of dry-out effect, faint tart-like, and a faint retronasal flavour of pineapple (ester), and later bitterish green leaves. Dry-out as stated, long lingering main taste. Surprising original wit. They have one thing that I recognise: the grains taste as in the very first Celis Oud Hoegaards (pre - De Kluis). At the same time, relief-free of the obnoxious herb. Big thanks to MattD
Clarkvv (16523) reviewed Third Stone Brown from Empyrean Brewing Company 19 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4
2005 12oz bottle shared with SuIIy on 5/23/06. Clear, filtered, force-carbonated chestnut brown with an earl-gray tea-like appearance after it settles, because the head is nowhere to be found. A simple ring of beige head sits on the edge. Cherries arise from the glass at first and even some fair chocolate sweetness. For a while it’s sniffable, but quickly, skunked cabbage and black pepper cloud the finish of the aroma, with cardboard and boiled potatoes not far off. The flavor is under-malted, very thin, with rapdily fizzling carbonation. DMS is heavy on the finish, with soily, old leaves and dry, papery cardboard. Very thin and weak.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Thanks to Sledge Jr for this one! Virtually no head formed when this dark brown brew was poured. The Vanilla was a no-show in the aroma dept, but there were some decent coffee and chocolate notes there. Lightly sweet and the aroma repeats in the flavor and the vanilla comes in at the finish. A bit thin, but the best of the Empyrean brews that I’ve sampled.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5
Thanks to Sledge Jr for this one. The pour reveals a brilliantly clear deep yellow body that forms a soapy, fleeting white head that patterns the sides of the glass as it falls. Sweet malt aroma with a heavy sourness. Maybe that’s the corn aroma everyone mentions in the rating descriptions for this style. I last smelled this in some beers from Ghana. Smooth, thin, sweet with an astringent finish. No honey character to this that I discern. Do I hear the lawnmower?
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Thanks to Sledge Jr for this one! This one starts out with a small off white head that disappears quickly. Light amber colored body. Sour orange aroma. The flavor is slightly sweet, but lacks the malty, smoky characteristics I look for in a good Scottish Ale. This needs more body to meet the style expectations as it’s quite thin.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Thanks to Sledge Jr for this one! A frothy off white head starts this one off. Garnet color with a sweet malty aroma A bit of sourness in the finish is the only flavor detractor, otherwise it’s an average, typical brown ale if a bit thin.