BeerBorg

Once again I was extremely lucky to receive beer mail, this one from Inkleg. I've been planning on brewing something a little different than my typical IPA's and it's been more than a year since I brewed an ESB so I grabbed his (it just so happens the recipe I found online is the same).
I didn't grab a pic but even though this is not my 'crazy in love' type of beer, this one is real! You'd swear you were in a craft bar drinking craft beer....there is absolutely nothing here that smacks of homebrew except excellence!
But since I always have to make myself feel better since I can't compare, there's very little head. That said, it's carbed perfectly for an ESB. Me thinks I'm sitting at The Lord Nelson in Suffolk, England (never been to England either)
Another great job Jeff, kudos to you and thanks.

Man, when I add a note that it's ready to drink when chilled, you sir waste no time, I'm glad you liked it.

I've never brewed this style before, heck don't recall ever having an ESB before. As I sit here enjoying a Thomas Creek IIPA, I understand your not "crazy in love" comment, as this gets me out of my "normal" too. A big Thanks to everyone's support in my younger brewing days, as I'm not worried now about trying new things.

You and I found the same recipe on HBT. This is what I brewed due to things on hand and kudos to Wyeast 1968, as I truly believe this made a lot of difference.
I did 10 gallons just so I could give 5 gallons away and everyone seems to like it. Your Jolly write about toasting the Queen with a pint of this.

Timely post. I've been thinking of an ESB also.
Or maybe a Belgian. Or another APA.

I've got 8# of Maris Otter sitting here in a bag. A couple of smack packs of Wyeast 1469 (West Yorkshire Ale). Various kinds of crystal malt, and hops.

5 gallon batch of ESB is what that will become.

Yum. Good beer.

I was a bit rushed last night and in my haste I didn't grab a picture but I sure enjoyed this.
It's an easy drinker, with enough malt character to be interesting, without being overly sweet like a couple of recent Octoberfests that I've had. I know they are different styles, just using it for comparison.

The only commercial ESB that I know I've had is from Red Hook and I find that one to be somewhat abrasive. This on the other hand, was smooth and tasty.

Thanks for a great beer Jeff. I'm sure this one is going quick.

I love Fullers ESB, it's pretty much the standard I would try to match with my own brew. There's nothing like a nice malt forward beer to resuscitate the palate in between the hop bombings. Sounds like a wonderful brew!

ESB is one of the last we brewed before I packed up the gear. We used RO water and the Burton salts.

It is a very good beer and I would suggest trying to brew one at least once (for the hopheads) just to compare to a lawnmower beer or such.

They don't jump out at you when thinking of all the styles/varieties if you are into IPAs and American Pale Ales but a well brewed ESB is very refreshing and tasty if you take a break from the piney/citrusy hop varieties we so often use here.

My 2 cents.

ScrewyBrewer wrote:There's nothing like a nice malt forward beer to resuscitate the palate in between the hop bombings.

Agreed.

Brewbirds wrote: They don't jump out at you when thinking of all the styles/varieties if you are into IPAs and American Pale Ales but a well brewed ESB is very refreshing and tasty if you take a break from the piney/citrusy hop varieties we so often use here.

Agreed again.

This, the Octoberfests, and the few experiments that I've done with the Maris Otter LME have been a nice change of pace.

It's strange... I drink pale ales and IPAs to take a break from the wheat beers and malty Belgians I drink most of the time! I've not had an ESB but I'm sure since Inkleg brewed it, it's gotta be good.

Yea baby. Since the other guys didn't take a picture, here it is. Although I'm half way done with it already. It poured with a nice head that dissapated nicely. Looks exactly like an ESB should. Really great reddish brown color, my wife calls it autumn brown and real clear.

Flavor is great. Just really balanced well. A hint of caramel malt, but not too sweet, with just the right amount of hops to make it good.

Nice job.

Yeah, a damn fine brew. Easy to drink but had character, too.