Beer of the Weekend #516: Bitch Creek ESB
Though I have two or three October seasonals left from a John’s customer sixer, I decided to drink the beers Sweets and Zaza brought back from their honeymoon in Yellowstone. The first is the first beer I have ever had from Idaho: Bitch Creek ESB, brewed by the Grand Teton Brewing Company of Victor, Idaho.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the label is “7/31/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is ruby brown. Two fingers of frothy, tan head dissipated slowly, almost stopping at one point to create a finger-thick cap with a buttery shine on the surface.
Smell: Delicious. Caramel, dark chocolate, dark cherry, plum, toasted malts. A hint of orange and grapefruit tickles the nostril hairs and slowly comes to prominence. Pine emerges late and strongly.
Taste: The mouthfeeel is not as thick and the flavor is much more hop-forward than I anticipated. I can’t complain, though. Grapefruit, orange, lemon, and pine dominate. They are backed by caramel, toasted malts, chocolate, honey, and cherry.
Drinkability: Tasty stuff. At first I thought it would be much more malt-driven, but that did not turn out to be the case. The citrus and hops really dominated the flavor, which was a little disheartening — but I drank it anyway.
Fun facts about Bitch Creek ESB:
-Style: The ESB stands for “Extra Special Brown,” but it is classified on BA as “Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB).” Both, I think, are a little misleading.
-Price: No clue. I assume they bought it somewhere near Yellowstone.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-IBU: 60.
-Color: 18ยบ Lovibond, which is the same as 18 SRM.
-The beer’s webpage provides a link to “scenes of the actual Bitch Creek” (though the video is mostly about Double Bitch Creek).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The “BOTTLED ON” date printed on the label is “7/31/13.”
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is ruby brown. Two fingers of frothy, tan head dissipated slowly, almost stopping at one point to create a finger-thick cap with a buttery shine on the surface.
Smell: Delicious. Caramel, dark chocolate, dark cherry, plum, toasted malts. A hint of orange and grapefruit tickles the nostril hairs and slowly comes to prominence. Pine emerges late and strongly.
Taste: The mouthfeeel is not as thick and the flavor is much more hop-forward than I anticipated. I can’t complain, though. Grapefruit, orange, lemon, and pine dominate. They are backed by caramel, toasted malts, chocolate, honey, and cherry.
Drinkability: Tasty stuff. At first I thought it would be much more malt-driven, but that did not turn out to be the case. The citrus and hops really dominated the flavor, which was a little disheartening — but I drank it anyway.
Fun facts about Bitch Creek ESB:
-Style: The ESB stands for “Extra Special Brown,” but it is classified on BA as “Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB).” Both, I think, are a little misleading.
-Price: No clue. I assume they bought it somewhere near Yellowstone.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-IBU: 60.
-Color: 18ยบ Lovibond, which is the same as 18 SRM.
-The beer’s webpage provides a link to “scenes of the actual Bitch Creek” (though the video is mostly about Double Bitch Creek).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
