My beer store decided to run specials on the spring seasonals to make room for the summer beers and was offering 4 bucks off a six-pack. I felt obligated to try it. I picked this up along with Sierra Nevada - Southern Hemisphere Harvest. The beer poured amber with a golden tint. It looked very similar to the Harvest. The head was just about the same as well. It had nice lacing with about average retention. ESB's aroma was hoppy in a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale way. Since I tried this back-to-back with the Harvest, the hops just did not come across as fresh. In any case, the aroma was nice and hoppy for my taste. Which means is, the aroma was floral with citrus and pine notes. The bitterness is front loaded. However the hop bitterness is not too sharp. The beer had some light roasted malt richness with buttery-caramel flavors. There are some subtle yeast bready flavors as well as some chocolate notes in the back. And, the hops was always on the nose with every sip. It just seemed a bit watered down with the bitterness the primary quality. The beer was highly carbonated and prickly on the tongue. And the beer in general had a medium to light body. This was not my sort of beer as I am not a big fan of ESBs to begin with. However I did find it enjoyable for what it is. For the price, I could not go wrong.
| 
