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LunaSea ESB
Empyrean Brewing Company
- From:
- Empyrean Brewing Company
- Nebraska, United States
- Style:
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #90 - ABV:
- 6.3%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #23,872 - Avg:
- 3.66 | pDev: 12.84%
- Reviews:
- 71
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 22, 2024
- Added:
- Oct 05, 2002
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 16
Extra Special Bitter is our homage to the best of English beers. Brewed with imported English malts for a bold, caramel-sweet, yet crisp ale. Brewed with English and American grown barley and American hops.
31 IBU
31 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by scoobybrew:
Reviewed by scoobybrew from Indiana
3.88/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - slightly hazy (perhaps from bottle conditioning) orange color with a thick white collar head that leaves a nice lacing
S - sweet biscuity malt aroma with a touch of yeasty esters and faint earthy hop in background
T - rich malt characterized by bread and biscuity flavors with mild herbal and earthy hops; finish is moderately dry with modest hop bitterness lingering
M - medium-full body with moderate carbonation
D - This is a fine beer. I think it stacks up to the ESB style fairly well. It definitely goes down easy and would make a good session beer. This beer has me curious about the brewery's other offerings (as it's my first from Empyrean).
Jan 13, 2011S - sweet biscuity malt aroma with a touch of yeasty esters and faint earthy hop in background
T - rich malt characterized by bread and biscuity flavors with mild herbal and earthy hops; finish is moderately dry with modest hop bitterness lingering
M - medium-full body with moderate carbonation
D - This is a fine beer. I think it stacks up to the ESB style fairly well. It definitely goes down easy and would make a good session beer. This beer has me curious about the brewery's other offerings (as it's my first from Empyrean).
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by mfnmbvp from Illinois
3.72/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.72/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12 oz. can, best by AUG 13, 2023. My third beer from Empyrean Brewing Company, and my first ESB in quite some time. I remember enjoying the Redhook ESB fondly, so here goes.
Poured to a stemless wine snifter.
A: Good color, deep burnt sienna. Small finger of khaki head that dissipates quick. Lots of good thick lacing. Appears well carbonated.
S: Aroma is malty, lightly hoppy / piney. Notes of brown bread, bread crust, cherry, maybe even a slight whiff of fusel alcohol.
T: Taste follows, super bready & malty. Notes of brown bread, crust, sort of sweetish cherry flavor, some earthy herbal hop presence. English caramalt is definitely noticeable in this.
F: Smooth, crisp, clean, fluid. Light-bodied, easy-drinking, good carbonation. I just burped.
Overall, average at best, though it does remind me of my early days of drinking craft beer. I'll have no trouble finishing this.
Empyrean Brewing Company Luna Sea ESB -----3.75/5
May 26, 2023Poured to a stemless wine snifter.
A: Good color, deep burnt sienna. Small finger of khaki head that dissipates quick. Lots of good thick lacing. Appears well carbonated.
S: Aroma is malty, lightly hoppy / piney. Notes of brown bread, bread crust, cherry, maybe even a slight whiff of fusel alcohol.
T: Taste follows, super bready & malty. Notes of brown bread, crust, sort of sweetish cherry flavor, some earthy herbal hop presence. English caramalt is definitely noticeable in this.
F: Smooth, crisp, clean, fluid. Light-bodied, easy-drinking, good carbonation. I just burped.
Overall, average at best, though it does remind me of my early days of drinking craft beer. I'll have no trouble finishing this.
Empyrean Brewing Company Luna Sea ESB -----3.75/5
Reviewed by DSlep16 from Nebraska
4.34/5 rDev +18.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev +18.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This has become an old reliable favorite. Upon first try I was not so sure about this one but by the time my glass was empty I couldn't wait to have it filled up again.
Jun 21, 2018Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
3.75/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
folks are crazy to not rate this better, its a really pretty textbook style of the beer, and just americanized a little bit with some more body and malt depth than the classics, and a bit more of a hop finish, but still quite traditional and really well done. i just dont remember these guys being this good... deep amber in color to even brick red with a nice head on it. toasty warming european malts here, less sweet than a lot of them but also a little darker and richer, and significantly more complex, with an almost bock build it seems, as german as it is english in that way, the grain is almost confusing in the style, but its bready and baked and hearty and healthful and just really nice. slight hop bitterness adds a layer rather than balances too, and the old school ale yeast is just right. why ever drink an american amber ale and be bored with it again? a beer like this provides all the same elements but in a way more interesting package that really tickles my fancy for a sessionable beer with some character and old world charm. a little almond note, some toasted bread, and a light honey sweetness, its a great example of the style and a beer i could drink a whole lot of. somewhat autumnal, but a versatile year round offering. this style in general gets no love, and this is a way better beer overall than its ratings here indicate...
May 23, 2017Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri
3.89/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.89/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Mahoghany brown in color with a light haziness present. There's a fingernail of tan resting on top. The aroma is a dark bready note with almost a light metallic edge. I taste that dark bready note with a sharp, but malty bitter note. The mouth is very dry, crisp, and clean.
Aug 26, 2016Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado
3.48/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.48/5 rDev -4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
L: Amber honey color, with a medium white head, and some lacing on the glass.
S: Overpowering smell of caramel, strong enough that it is a little off putting. Some cracker and a slight bit of hop.
T: Strong caramel, not a strong as aroma but still dominant, some sweet malt, a little hop bitterness.
F: Medium body,good carbonation
O: Lots of caramel that overpowers most everything else.
Jan 04, 2016S: Overpowering smell of caramel, strong enough that it is a little off putting. Some cracker and a slight bit of hop.
T: Strong caramel, not a strong as aroma but still dominant, some sweet malt, a little hop bitterness.
F: Medium body,good carbonation
O: Lots of caramel that overpowers most everything else.
LunaSea ESB from Empyrean Brewing Company
Beer rating:
83 out of
100 with
133 ratings
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