Sweetwater ESB

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Another truly amazing beer from Sweetwater. It reminds me of some of the very best bitters that I've had in England. Always take the oppotunity to have one when in Atlanta.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Glad I got to have this before leaving the ATL. Thanks Kp! This drinks like an English style ESB. Nothing screamed out insanity about this beer, but it had some good solid hoppy, bitter flavors, along with some complimentary malts. There was a hint of citrus flavor, but nothing overpowering or crazy, just a hint so you know it’s there. SOme good biscuit-y malts too to top this one off. Nicely done.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 7

Pours a bit light for an ESB and extremely clear copper color (like copper-colored glass). Some of the expected British hop aromas with some american citric hops added in. Flavor lacks the chewy malt of a good ESB and really a lot of the hop character of a typical ESB. It's mostly a light sweet toasty malt flavor with mild pear-like fruitiness. Not the best example of the style, but I like the beer. It's easy drinking and not bad by any stretch.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

After being surprisingly impressed with the 420 Extra Pale Ale, I went into this beer with more of an open mind. Unfortunately, while this is a good beer, I can't see how it could ever fall into the ESB category.

Decent appearence and aroma, but no yeast-driven fruit notes or hops in the nose. Ditto for the flavor profile. Nice in the mouth, pleasant in the finish, satisfying to drink? Yes, absolutely. But it's not bitter or complex enough to be an "Extra Special Bitter". I would put this into the lesser known "Ordinary Bitter" category, which is no insult to the beer or the style, but not very well known, and definately nothing that ignorant distributors would rush to put on the shelves and into beer store coolers across The South.

Anyway, naming conventions aside, this is a very nice Bitter, that I would expect would make a great Session ale, especially if it were cask-conditioned.
//TB

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled from bottle, a gift from Staleyiv. This ESB pours a cloudy copper with a thin white head. Aroma is caramel and flowers. Flavor is slightly bitter and dominated by crystal malts. Maple and citrus also present. Medium-bodied and smooth. An easy-drinking session ale that would be a regular drinker for me if it were local.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Pours a burnt caramel color with short creamy head and nice lacing. The strong aroma has pronounced notes of flowers, yeast, and earthy malt, an interesting combonation. Skipping the pasteuriztion really paid off for Sweetwater this time, with an amazing farm fresh quality shining through. A hearty, medium body clings to the mouth before a smooth swallow. Inventive yet classic, possibly my new favorite ESB. My heartfelt thanks to Staley for this generous gift!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Cloudy copper in color with a nice head and slight effervescence. Aroma is sweet and slightly malty, with a moderate caramel/butterscotch scent. Mouthfeel is very smooth and creamy. Flavor is mild and balanced pretty well, still leaning toward the sweet side, but with just enough hoppy bitterness to make it interesting and give it some complexity. Overall, I really like this one...this is a beer that I could really relax with and simply enjoy life! Thanks, Staleyiv for this one!

Aroma: 4 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Pours a clear amber with small head. Taste is a bit more sweet malt than bitter hop. Drinkable yeah, but nothing to write home about.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

The aroma is bitter and of hops and spices. The appearance is tarnished copper to orange with a nice slightly white head. The mouthfeel is full and dry along with bitter typical to this style. The flavor is hoppy-bitter almost what a grapefruit tastes like. Overall, a pretty good ESB but I have had better but Sweetwater does an excellent job with this one.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Poured a copper color with a small off white head and very little lacing. Earthy, toasted malt, and citrus aroma. Taste began sweet, with some bubblegum. Finished lightly tart citrus, some grapefruit too.