Green Man ESB - Green Man Brewery

VaterRoss

North Carolina

3/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

on-tap at Pandora's Pies

Appearance is a clear copper with a small white head that goes down to a film. Smell is of a nice mellow caramel malt with some light skunk. Overall not a huge nose. The initial taste is the funk/skunk that was just noticeable in the nose, it is far more prominent in the taste. After the unpleasantness, some of those nice English malts come through followed by some light hop spiciness. Well balanced. Mouthfeel is medium in body and carb.

This is an ok beer, the funkiness almost ruins it but it is just barely saved by the nice malt. If it didn't have the funk this would be in the 3.5-4 range. One cannot help but to compare a beer to the epitome of its style and this one simply does not match up to Fuller's.

notes: I have a suspicion that this keg is old as the location (college town) suggests to me that an ESB wouldn't be the most ordered beer, also, the keg kicked soon after.
from notes 1/31/12

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2012 17:53:29 | More by VaterRoss

Fulkrum78

Tennessee

3.33/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I had this on draft at Twelve Bones in Asheville, NC. Nice beer, with a great brown color and decent head. Not as much on the aroma side of things as I would expect, but that could have been part of sitting outside. I got a malty backbone to this, and not so much of the hoppiness that I would have expected out of an ESB. Tasty beer, just not what I had expected.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 03:39:28 | More by Fulkrum78

blackie

Virginia

3.35/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

a: Deep amber brown in color with a low head

s: Good caramel malt aromas bring a moderate sweetness. Earthy hops provide some balance.

m: medium-low carbonation and a medium body

t: Seems a bit light and bland but there is a decent grainy malt presence. Nondescript hop flavor and a moderate bitterness. Could use a bit more character. Considerably "husky".

d: easy enough...nothing off and a decent beer

on-tap at Jack of the Wood

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2007 14:25:26 | More by blackie

babaracas

Florida

3.38/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Jack of the Wood in a shaker pint. A hazy aged copper with a quarter inch of off-white head that stuck around and deposited a thin sheet of lace down the glass. Smell: really sparse -- toffee, minerally. Taste: toffee, decently fruity, apricot, mildly nutty, with an earthy and herbal bitterness. Finishes earthy and a little nutty, drying. Decent.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2011 03:33:33 | More by babaracas

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.45/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

It's a fine beer, however there are a few things about it that offsets the style. A good firm malt base seems to headge on sweet barley grains with a bit of astringency (husks) in the mouthfeel. The hops also seem a bit high, citrus / pine, and bite-ey. But the beer comes together nicely with a cleanly brewed taste of fermentation and attenuation. Nearly mint-y in the finish. Body could be maltier with a higher gravity (use English malts) would have sweetened the beer and rounded out the (American) hop abrasion. Call it beer, and it's pretty tasty stuff. Call it an ESB, and it stumbles a bit.

Serving type: on-tap

09-12-2007 17:25:30 | More by BEERchitect

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.45/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from tap into pint at 12south Nashville. Pours a deep seethrough brown with nice looking head. Pretty much no aroma...so I didn't penalize it but its not good.
Taste is pretty boring but not offensive. Just blah...alt like watery malt. Meh
Its very mild and boring...not bad, just boring.
I wouldnt get again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-27-2013 00:02:53 | More by DrinkSlurm

wcudwight

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark amber in color with a nice sized sticky head. Lot's of lace cascades down the sides of the glass.
Grainy aroma with some fruit. Sour apples.
Taste comes together much better than the aroma. Sweet grainy malts. Nice hoppiness in the finish. This kind of leans more to an IPA for me. I taste citrus hops. There's also a roasted flavor for this beer that I didn't expect.
Mouthfeel is smooth and it's an easy to drink session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2008 13:08:19 | More by wcudwight

sweett3k

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On a visit of the Local brew of Ashville, NC. Pours brownish orange into the pint glass with a quick head. Banana and coffee aroma. Smooth grain and barley malt. Some fruit notes. Think I will change up on my next order. Good selection here at the Bier Garten.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2012 23:34:40 | More by sweett3k

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Listed as being 5.5% at the time of this rating.

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark copper body with a small, white head.

Smell: Pale, bready malts with some slight sweetish toffee notes.

Taste: Biscuity, pale maltiness with a bit of toffee-like sweetness. Earthy, medium hop bitterness. Lightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: A decent ESB.

Serving type: on-tap

12-29-2008 00:21:55 | More by ChainGangGuy

GJ40

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at Jack of the Wood in Asheville, NC.

A deep, deep amber if not light brown. A nice foamy head. Aroma was mild with biscuit and a hint of brown sugar. Flavor was bready malts with minimal hops. Slightly tart. Not especially complex. A smooth, silky mouthfeel that delivered well from the cask.

English in spirit but not in complexity. A smooth, enjoyable beer nonetheless.

Serving type: cask

08-27-2011 20:33:31 | More by GJ40

PhillipJFry

Korea (South)

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: Has a nice amber color and little head retention.

s: Interesting caramel malts and some unique hops.

m: medium body and average composition.

t: Some hop flavors and a moderate bitterness. I wish there was just a bit more to this one.

d: Real easy drinking, like most Green Man offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2009 23:20:07 | More by PhillipJFry

oberon

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On cask at Jack of the Wood.Poured a clear rich bronze with a thin soapy-like head atop,fruity malt notes in the nose with light toast,and lingering leafy hop although light.A tad thin in the feel with malt tilted fruit on the palate,some biscuit and caramel sweetness as well makes it more malt tilted,a leafy hop smack comes in the finish.A decent ESB but I have had better.

Serving type: cask

04-19-2010 18:01:42 | More by oberon

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Tried on cask 1/8/09

Copper brown color and kind of hazy. There was almost no head, and I believe this was the last of the cask left, which may have contributed to the low carbonation. The smell is wonderful, at least to me. Smells kind of like 'raw' beer, like boiled wort. Very sweet smell, and a bit estery, kind of like a tea smell. The taste is a bit woody, you can tell its from a cask. Tastes very sweet, without a whole lot of bitterness, but it balanced out the beer to keep the sweetness from being cloying. Tastes a bit like sweet tea, from the floral esters in the beer. The mouthfeel is nice and full. Though there was almost no carbonation. I actually started to like this beer once I got into it. There was good balance and drinkability, and I may have a second one or revisit it, but not something I'd want all the time. The esters were just a bit too dominant for me.

Serving type: cask

01-10-2009 23:49:00 | More by taylorhamrick

dmbdusty41

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

It's funny, at first I was not impressed with this ESB, HOWEVER, through finishing the glass casually I learned to enjoy it. Maybe it was the brewmaster giving the history of ESBs or just grew to liking the beer, but I believe I could enjoy a few more of these. It's a nice caremely color, like a golden amber if that makes any sense. Mouth-feel is about what I expected from a beer of it's stature, but after a few sips/gulps I really liked it.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2011 21:30:24 | More by dmbdusty41

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A rather interesting offering I have to say. I would guess this is more in the vain of a traditional ESB. A nice amber pour with a good bit of cloudiness to it. A big head of white comes up and fades quickly leaving behind a ring of lacing and thick pillow across the top. Aroma is herbal, lots of grassy and thick hop notes that are melted in with tons of bready notes and a touch of a woodsy note. A rather full body with a medium carbonation that really came across quite nicely and allowed the flavor to really show off quite nicely. Rich and full the green resiny flavor is well balanced and very full. Oily and dry in the finish this one begs for another sip almost immediatly.

Overall a very solid and really well put together ale. I would not mind at all getting to try this one again anyday.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2010 02:17:38 | More by mikesgroove

ncvbc

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep amber with a somewhat fizzy head and fading pretty quick. Nice lacing down the glass. Good smell of grain, lightly toasted bread, caramel, and earthy hops. Taste is a bit more expansive than the smell, which was a somewhat muted. Lots of roast flavor, more than I expected form the nose or a beer of this type. Some chocolate and caramel. Toasted bread. Finishes fairly bitter with a crisp hop bite. In the mouth it's fairly smooth but a chalky bitterness from the hops takes away from that at times. Very easy to drink. I enjoyed the entire growler, simply because this stuff is hard to put down. Tasty enough and while there's not much to it, this helps drinkability. One that you can figure out pretty quickly and then sit back and enjoy. Glad I grabbed it.

Serving type: growler

10-11-2008 22:24:50 | More by ncvbc

Brenden

Ohio

3.83/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this brew on tap yesterday at the Mellow Mushroom.

The color is a clear, deep reddish-brown. The head is compact and sits for a short time, leaving a constant foam and small traces of itself behind.
The smell is solid if not a bit light and thin. A nice balance of bitterness with slight sweet malts combine with lots of woody/herbal/grassy notes.
The taste is subdued but good. The bitterness is on par for the style, ESB not being as bitter as one would expect by the name or experience with, say, IPAs. That said, this one gets the style well. Lots of breads and toastiness are backed by slight notes of caramel and mix with the herbal and grassy flavors, making for a well-balanced, dry finish.
The body is medium. Nothing stands out about the mouthfeel. It's pretty smooth with an average carbonation.
This beer is certainly sessionable and makes for good drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2010 12:50:01 | More by Brenden

JimKal

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Sticks and Stones in Greensboro, NC

Draft poured a dark brown into a pint glass. Minimal head with OK to thin lacing. There was minimal carbonation as well.

Taste had a hint of chocolate but other than that it was quite balanced.

Mouthfeel was smooth as with most ESBs.

This is a nice beer if you like ESBs and I'll order it again when I see it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

04-24-2012 18:10:21 | More by JimKal

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap at the brewery into an Aviator shaker. Poured red-orange with a minimal off-white head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, slight roasted malt, and caramel. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, and subtle roasted malt. It had a light feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty nice ESB. The flavor was nicely balanced with the sweet and roasted malts. The aroma was a little lacking as far as intensity, but still wasn't bad. Worth trying for an ESB fan out there.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2010 19:07:54 | More by thagr81us

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a nice brown with a thin off white head that dissipates quickly and left no lace.

S-Malty, some hints of caramel, and some hops.

T-Hops up front providing a nice bitterness and it finishes with a nice chocolate/caramel malt backbone. I was really surprised at how much chocolate flavor I got out of this beer. It almost tasted more like a brown ale due to the malt over powering the hops.

M-About right for the style a nice amount of carbonation.

D-Very drinkable beer. Not overly complex and an average abv. make this a session beer all the way.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer. I would have like some more hops, but I would definitely drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2011 01:55:06 | More by thegodfather2701

raszputini

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rock solid ESB. From the growler to the pint glass. Pours a light amber with thin whitish head. Green man malts are easily identifiable and this makes for a very distinctive taste, the malt is very similar to their IPA, but tones of caramel, distinct bitterness but reduced hoppiness provides the distinction. This is a very easy drinking brew and one of my favorite ESBs.

Serving type: growler

03-22-2011 01:35:53 | More by raszputini

ncfranklin

Alabama

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at Jack of the Wood

A: Deep amber. FInger tall beige head.

S: Pine, grass, some caramel.

T: Follows the nose. Grass with some bitter upfront, hoppy floral inbetween, backbone of caramel malt.

M: Good medium body, not too much carbonation, some slight dryness on the finish in the tongue. Refreshing.

D: A very quaffable ESB.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2011 13:35:45 | More by ncfranklin

Deuane

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-Bright, clear, dark copper with a ringing off-white head that left spotty lace.

S-Lightly sweet biscuit malt with a touch of toffee and subtle fruity notes.

T-Sweet biscuit malt with accents of caramel and toffee. Light fruity notes of apricot and cherry in the semi-dry finish.

M-Medium bodied, nice straight forward and easy drinking. Very smooth but quite bouncy at the same time!

D-A very well done American version of this English classic. The cask delivery is iconic and makes this quite the session brew.

Serving type: cask

01-10-2010 14:51:29 | More by Deuane

Enola

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint at the brewery.

This beer was a bit lighter than most ESB's. The smell was bitter. The taste was bitter with a sweet ending. The mouthfeel was fairly smooth. The drinkability was good. I could drink these again. I was going to get this in my growler but the Oatmeal Stout was awfully good.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2006 00:42:16 | More by Enola

ViveLaChouffe

Georgia

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A couple a weeks ago, I took a hiking trip up near Asheville, NC so I drove into town to hunt for some beer. North Carolina has no annoying laws forbidding growlers so I picked up a growler of fresh ESB brewed by Green Man Ales.

It pours a deep orangey copper with a creamy but thin, light tan head. Sheeting lace on the glass. Very fruity and herbal in the nose

Taste is bready and fruity, a well balanced ale with herbal English hops, (Kent Goldings and Fuggles according to the website) offsetting a sweetish, fruity malt. Quite British in character but surprisingly sweet and that sweetness lingers long in the finish and aftertaste.

It's a well crafted ale and certainly enticing enough for me to want to try some more from Green Man the next time I find myself in Asheville.

Serving type: growler

07-17-2009 12:13:31 | More by ViveLaChouffe