Tasting Notes: Sierra Nevada ESB 2009
Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Location: Chico, California, USA
ABV: 5.9%
Version: 350ml bottle
Source: The Vineyard, Belfast
So this is Sierra Nevada's Early Spring Beer for 2009. Not sure if there's any significance to mentioning the year as there's no mention on their site of any variation on the recipe from one year to the next. Perhaps it's to account for variances in crop quality, effects of weather, etc. Or maybe it's just to make it easier to tell if the beer is still drinkable several years down the line. Anyway, I dug out my notes for the 2008 version (made before this blog was started and one of the many old ones I never got round to posting here) to remind myself what the previous year's offering was like for comparison.
ESB 2009 pours a clear copper colour and gives off a fruity, floral, slightly earthy, aroma. The taste is quite hoppy and fruity, but not really citrusy, with some peppery spiciness. I didn't detect much malt and the alcohol adds some warmth. That warmth carries through with the hops to the end, but unfortunately everything fades too quickly on the short-lived finish. It's not really a bad beer, just an okay one, and disappointing compared to last year's offering (which I noted as being wonderfully refreshing with more balance to the malt and hops).
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