The Bottom Line
If you're expecting a British style ESB you'll be disappointed. Nevertheless, this is a fine beer with a well rounded and balanced flavor profile.
Pros
- Well rounded flavor
- Good American adaptation of ESB
Cons
- A bit hoppy but not wrong for the style
Description
- American interpretation of British ESB
- Pronounced hoppiness
- Well balanced
Guide Review - Redhook ESB Tasting Notes and Review
Redhook's ESB has a light copper, crystal clear body with a medium, rocky, off-white head. The nose is slightly malty with pronounced, though not overwhelming, hoppiness. Hops remains dominant in the flavor but there is a good amount of balancing malt. It doesn't achieve the depth of some of the best British ESBs but it's still a very good beer. It lingers long after the finish with delightful hoppiness.One nerdy note about the hops. I was pleased to detect no citrusy notes. American craft brewers are often guilty of overdoing it with Cascade hops which have a very forward grapefruit like quality that would have been particularly obnoxious in this style. Instead, the hops presence was spicy and faintly woody - not in the oak barrel sense but the walk through the forest sense. In checking the Redhook website I see that they use Willamette and Tettnang which, though a little unusual, provides characteristics that are spot on for this British style ale. Kudos to Redhook!
