The time has come to finally taste the
kind of British ESB I made Well, that's a lie, I tasted it several times prior to this. But now, it is finally worth mentioning. Not to say it is amazing, but I would happily drink it now and would be comfortable serving it to other people. I kegged it ten days after brew day. It wasn't terrible by any stretch, but it had a slightly buttery or butterscotch flavor and it had an almost salty taste. That has since gone away. I suck at describing beer, but here goes.
The head is probably the most disappointing thing about it. It falls away quickly and leaves little lacing. Not really a big deal though. The color turned out about right as far as I'm concerned as well. It will slowly clear up in the keg. As for aroma, it has a slightly malty smell with obvious caramel. Not much hop smell that I can detect, but maybe something faintly herbal or floral. The flavor is pretty good I think, fairly light and refreshing, with some residual sweetness. It tastes a little bit like Newcastle Brown Ale. The bitterness is softer than I thought it would be, and the hops contribution leans more towards a light floral or herbal flavor (maybe some lavender?). There is a bit of tartness from the carbonation that lingers on the tongue. You can taste a bit of caramel and maybe a bready note as well.
Overall, I think its good enough to try brewing again, though not exactly the same way though. I will probably use less Burton salts next time and maybe add an extra ounce of EKG or maybe fuggles hops. I think the malt bill was pretty good, though I may try using a darker crystal malt next time.
On a side note...I was at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Nashville early this week. They had Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout on tap, so I got to try the genuine article to compare it to the kit I made. Didn't take detailed notes, but it was very tasty.
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