Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Beautiful thick head of off white on a black body. Roast coffee malt aroma that improves greatly as it warms. Nice balance of roasty bitterness and sweet malt. Lacks a little in body, but makes it up with an exceptionally smooth brew over the tongue. Very drinkable Stout.
omhper (45152) reviewed Belk's ESB from Anderson Valley Brewing Company 21 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6
Sample draught at Oliver Twist, Stockholm.
Brownish amber, clear, very small head. Orangey, resiny nose. Dry with hard, clean, firm maltiness. Intensely hoppy & bitter. Flawless, but one-diemnsional.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Copper color with a huge, creamy, off white head. Hops take over the aroma, and bitterness predominates the flavor profile. A little out of balance to be a top IPA.
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 8
This is on my IPA rotation for my beer fridge. A nice drinking IPA that consistently pleases. +++ Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer pours a hazy orange-caramel color with a large thick and creamy orange-white head that just lasts forever and leaves great lacing. The aroma was strong floral and bitter fruity hops with undertones of orange and tang malts. The flavor was bitter pine, grapefruit, pineapple and orange with light sweet and tangy caramel underneath. The finish is long with floral and citric hops and caramel lingering. The hops coat the tongue nicely and the body is slick and fairly full. Well done.
Lubiere (24605) reviewed Belk's ESB from Anderson Valley Brewing Company 22 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Deep amber with a nice bitterness with some good grapefruit added. However the body lack complexity and falls a bit flat.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Dark black. Mild chocolate taste with a touch of hops. Nice bosdy but thinner than a Saint Ambroise Stout.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
Amber ale with a nice malty roasted taste slight resinous hops. Very well balanced with a good body.(rated Dec. 2003)
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Paid $2.99 for a 1pt 6oz bottle. JEZUZ, this brewery knows how to have a good head. I've had two from them now, and the heads were equally incredible! This one is again fluffy and tan, sitting atop a gorgeous black liquid. Not much of a smell here... I really wish here was. Smooth bittersweet taste, that's actually kinda plain and thin. Nothing compared to the appearance of this brew. Not bad, but not even the slightest bit original. I'm still going to look for more from this brewery. They make beautiful beers!
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Paid $2.99 for a 1pt 6oz bottle. No freshness date. UNBELIEVABLE head... one of the biggest I have ever seen. Makes pouring and drinking a nightmare though... but this beer's gorgeous. Light amber, with almost a salmon hue. The head is frothy, soft and beigeish-salmon. It lasts, and lasts, and lasts, and laces, and lasts. Sweet fruity smell... slighty IPA scented (grapefruit), but also reminds me of peach and sweet wine. Taste is good. Bittersweet, IPA tatsing, but the strong ale aspect of this beer does come through. Not horribly strong, but not entirely weak, either. It has the grapefruit up front, followed by a warming alcohol that trickles down my throat, warming my pipes all the way down. I was VERY impressed with this beer. I'd never seen it or heard of it before.. but man oh man, am I glad I found it.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
New rating 7/29/13: It’s been almost a decade since I rated this... I figured I’d pick up a six pack and enjoy some AV! Pours a nice amber with two inches of frothy, foamy head. Smells of bittersweet pine, grapefruit, and a hint of flowers. Taste is a sticky pine, some orange peel, and a heavy pink grapefruit finish. I definitely like this more 9 years later... my original review follows. Original rating from 1/20/04: Appearance: 3 cloudy like apple cider, no head. Not much of a smell, but what was there (typical floral/fruit) was nice. (7) Too bitter for my taste... very hoppy... very thick... (6) Nice mouthfeel. (3) It’s drinkable to sample, that’s about it... for me at least. It’s a very filling beer, and I’d never be able to drink two in a row. (14)