Beer of the Weekend #499: Breckenridge ESB
As of right now, BotW #500 is scheduled for Friday. I still have no clue what it will be, though, because I have had no time to peruse the shelves at John’s. I will try to do that sometime tomorrow. Honestly, I have no preference — except for the fact it needs to be something special, something to match the occasion.
The beer tonight represents the last of my Minnesota haul: ESB, brewed by the Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado. (No longer of Breckenridge, obviously.)
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a Breckenridge pint glass. The color is a luscious, medium mahogany. A finger of dense, buttery, cappuccino-colored head dissipated slowly, leaving a spotted and bubbly skim, a ring around the edge, and lacing along the glass.
Smell: Deliciously malty. Toasted malts, candy caramel, toffee, a little molasses, dark cherry syrup, black raspberry, and licorice. There are also hints of smoked malts and peat as well.
Taste: The toasted/lightly smoked malts are much more prominent in the flavor, which is awesome. The alcohol is noticeable but not astringent or overpowering; it seems to come and go with each sip as the beer warms. The toasted and smoked bitterness eventually becomes much more of an aftertaste and the other flavors emerge: toffee, caramel, and molasses. The dark fruits are almost nonexistent.
Drinkability: This is a nice, solid, and tasty brew. But is it an ESB? Sure. Why not?
Fun facts about ESB:
-Style: It is classified on BA as “Scottish Ale,” but the brewery calls it “Other Strong Ale.” I find it kind of strange that neither mentions “bitter.”
-Price: $2.99/per bottle at Zipp’s Liquors in Minneapolis.
-Alcohol content: 7.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 55.
-Nerdiness from the bottle:
-On BA the beer is called 471 ESB. ESB is part of Breckenridge’s “Small Batch” series and 471 (for the brewery’s 471 Kalamath Street address in Denver) was attached to the series and its beers. That seems to have changed recently, though.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer tonight represents the last of my Minnesota haul: ESB, brewed by the Breckenridge Brewery of Denver, Colorado. (No longer of Breckenridge, obviously.)
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a Breckenridge pint glass. The color is a luscious, medium mahogany. A finger of dense, buttery, cappuccino-colored head dissipated slowly, leaving a spotted and bubbly skim, a ring around the edge, and lacing along the glass.
Smell: Deliciously malty. Toasted malts, candy caramel, toffee, a little molasses, dark cherry syrup, black raspberry, and licorice. There are also hints of smoked malts and peat as well.
Taste: The toasted/lightly smoked malts are much more prominent in the flavor, which is awesome. The alcohol is noticeable but not astringent or overpowering; it seems to come and go with each sip as the beer warms. The toasted and smoked bitterness eventually becomes much more of an aftertaste and the other flavors emerge: toffee, caramel, and molasses. The dark fruits are almost nonexistent.
Drinkability: This is a nice, solid, and tasty brew. But is it an ESB? Sure. Why not?
Fun facts about ESB:
-Style: It is classified on BA as “Scottish Ale,” but the brewery calls it “Other Strong Ale.” I find it kind of strange that neither mentions “bitter.”
-Price: $2.99/per bottle at Zipp’s Liquors in Minneapolis.
-Alcohol content: 7.8 percent ABV.
-IBU: 55.
-Nerdiness from the bottle:
THIS ESB IS EXTRA SPECIAL
ESB is a national treasure across the pond, so that’s where we journeyed to find the malts used in this ale. The malt maker we discovered follows a centuries-old formula, and we shipped a while bunch of it over to make this big, extra special brew. The result is a truly authentic ESB with a few pleasant surprises under its cap from our Brewmaster. Cheers.
-On BA the beer is called 471 ESB. ESB is part of Breckenridge’s “Small Batch” series and 471 (for the brewery’s 471 Kalamath Street address in Denver) was attached to the series and its beers. That seems to have changed recently, though.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
