6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Pours a nice red/brown. Not very clouded and has a foamy indistinct head. Very dry for an ESB. Bitterness is there, but it comes out towards end. Has some hop character that I think is a bit out of place for this beer. I detected alot of what I could describe as orange malt. Again, in a dry way, this was odd. I would like something a little flatter and perhaps more sweetness. I think they got a little too carried away on the hops here. Carbonation isnt overly bad, but could be less. Needs more body.
Tried
on 24 Jun 2003
at 12:12
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Great aroma immediately noticeable. Strong floral aroma with some sweeter notes. Nice half inch head and deep orange/golden honey color, slightly cloudy. Initial taste is Powerful. Strong body with a ton of hops. Nice malt undertones press in as the description says. Ends with a bitter floral flavor and aftertaste is a mix of flower petals and honey. A good IPA and the alcohol content is very well disguised. Aftertaste is a bit too one-sidedly bitter as it warms. Needs to be a bit more unique to really make this a really special beer. perfect carbonation in the bottle.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jun 2003
at 12:02
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Belks ESB is an amber brew with a tan head and mucho lacing. A malty aroma is followed by an intriguing, fruity, earthy flavor. A long, pleasantly bitter aftertaste ensues.
Tried
on 23 Jun 2003
at 17:36
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Pours a rich copper hue, with a light tan head. Floral hop aroma is prominent. Hop Ottin' is surprisingly strong and flavorful, with grapefruit and floral flavors and a bitter, long-lasting aftertaste. Sweet malts lurk in the background, as well. Overall a bit heavy on hops bitterness but still a strong contender.
Tried
on 23 Jun 2003
at 15:40
6.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Dark copper, clear. Thick, very irregular head, yellow, disappearing. Nose of biscuit, liqueurish. Taste gives sweet biscuits again, together with bitter hops. Very strange taste, carameltoffee-like. Balance is attempted by the carbonation, but it didn’t succeed. Mouthfeel is a bit empty – is this a winter ale? If this would be a summer copper ale, I’d go along. But it surprises just too much for a winter ale.
Tried
on 27 Apr 2003
at 00:29
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Slight brown tint with a golden colour. A decent off-white head which lasts and lasts. A slightly sweet smell, but not much more than that. Good overall flavour with the hops standing out more than the malt. A great beer for the style, and although its not one of my favourites, the Anderson Valley brewery is one that you should try every beer of, regardless of style!
Tried
on 11 Apr 2003
at 23:55
4.9/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 7
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Dark tan, with a large head that vanishes quickly and completely, leaving a beer that looks like flat Coke. Aroma of coffee, chocolate malt. Flavor is overly bitter for my taste, and for the style as well. Thin-bodied, lacking any significant malt presence. Finish is mostly bitter and not much else. A pretty bad beer, actually.
Tried
from Can
on 06 Apr 2003
at 20:31
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Not exactly a "dream come true" for a hop head, as the hop presence is mellow for the style, but the malt lover will get into this. Lots of malts going on in the flavor and aroma. Beer poured a huge head which shrank slowly. Aroma is sweet, with, surprisingly, some oats coming into play. Flavor has huge malt presence, with some oats, sweetness and a hop presence that would make me classify this more as an APA or EPA than an IPA. Still a good beer, though.
Tried
on 06 Apr 2003
at 00:08
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Orange tint to a golden colour. Nice head, with a great aroma. Very hoppy, citrusey...almost reminiscent of an APA. The taste is somewhat malty, but definately hoppy. I would consider this more as an APA after the first bottle, but perhaps if I drink more...i'll find the bitter notes out of it. I loved the beer nonetheless, but I just didn't see its 'esb' qualities as much as the APA.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Apr 2003
at 23:42
8.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Very sweet smell, with hints of some sweet fruit, but also of molasses and chocolate. Poured with absolutely no head after 15 seconds. Great inital flavour, perfect carbonation. A perfect aftertaste, mildly sweet...but still full of great oatmeal flavour. A good oatmeal stout that rivals Samuel Smith's!
Tried
on 03 Apr 2003
at 21:48