Beer of the Weekend #1,060: Captain Lee
The beer of the weekend is something I was very excited to find: Captain Lee ESB, brewed by the Allerton Brewing Company of Independence, Iowa.
An Iowa-brewed ESB!
Serving type: 16-ounce can. There is no freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonic pint glass. The color is a sexy, clear, light amber/caramel. A finger of buttery, off-white, bubbly head leaves a broken skim and collar. It looks like something that would be poured in a British pub.
Smell: Nice, simple, and enticing. There is a lot of mellow caramel and lightly toasted wheat bread. It has a touch of grass and earthy hops.
Taste: Flavorful and bitter. Flavors of caramel and wheat bread make way for a truckload of earthy bitterness. It really tingles the taste buds. This beer puts the extra and bitter in ESB. It is probably the most bitter ESB I have ever had. There is also a hint of honey. It takes me back to the Apartment 12 days when the shelf of our coat closet was full of empty Foster’s Special Bitter cans.
Fun facts about Captain Lee:
• Style: Extra special bitter.
• Price: $13.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at John's Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
• Here is the description via the label and brewery website: “Despite bitter being in the name, an ESB is not a bitter beer. Captain Lee ESB is loaded with malt flavor and balanced by a subtle hop bitterness. Named after the first mayor of Independence.” Not a bitter beer, huh?
• Why was our coat closet full of empty Foster’s Special Bitter cans? Good question. It was probably a combination of laziness and anxiety. Mostly anxiety. Since they were the 25.4-ounce oil cans, they were not as easy to redeem; they were too big for the reverse-vending machines at the local Hy-Vees. One would have to take them into the store. I had never done that before and was too anxious, so we stacked the cans on the shelf in the coat closet. At a certain point, the stacks filled the shelf and it became an issue. I have no clue what happened to the cans, though I am sure I recycled them somehow. It would not surprise me if that closet still smells like stale beer.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
An Iowa-brewed ESB!
Serving type: 16-ounce can. There is no freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a nonic pint glass. The color is a sexy, clear, light amber/caramel. A finger of buttery, off-white, bubbly head leaves a broken skim and collar. It looks like something that would be poured in a British pub.
Smell: Nice, simple, and enticing. There is a lot of mellow caramel and lightly toasted wheat bread. It has a touch of grass and earthy hops.
Taste: Flavorful and bitter. Flavors of caramel and wheat bread make way for a truckload of earthy bitterness. It really tingles the taste buds. This beer puts the extra and bitter in ESB. It is probably the most bitter ESB I have ever had. There is also a hint of honey. It takes me back to the Apartment 12 days when the shelf of our coat closet was full of empty Foster’s Special Bitter cans.
Fun facts about Captain Lee:
• Style: Extra special bitter.
• Price: $13.99 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans at John's Grocery in Iowa City.
• Alcohol content: 5.3 percent ABV.
• Here is the description via the label and brewery website: “Despite bitter being in the name, an ESB is not a bitter beer. Captain Lee ESB is loaded with malt flavor and balanced by a subtle hop bitterness. Named after the first mayor of Independence.” Not a bitter beer, huh?
• Why was our coat closet full of empty Foster’s Special Bitter cans? Good question. It was probably a combination of laziness and anxiety. Mostly anxiety. Since they were the 25.4-ounce oil cans, they were not as easy to redeem; they were too big for the reverse-vending machines at the local Hy-Vees. One would have to take them into the store. I had never done that before and was too anxious, so we stacked the cans on the shelf in the coat closet. At a certain point, the stacks filled the shelf and it became an issue. I have no clue what happened to the cans, though I am sure I recycled them somehow. It would not surprise me if that closet still smells like stale beer.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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