Boont ESB - Anderson Valley Brewing Company

nickd717

California

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review dated 9/28/2010. 12oz bottle from Whole Foods Los Altos.

Pours a slightly hazy copper color, with a one-finger-plus white head and good lacing.

Excellent floral and citrusy hops on the aroma along with a sweet honeyish malt note to it.

The flavor has a subtle bready pale malt base, with a great hop profile: floral, herbal, grapefruit, and other light fruit notes.

Nice palate, medium-bodied with a fairly lively carbonation level.

Really good for the style. Glad I got this before AV sold out.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 20:54:32 | More by nickd717

barczar

Kentucky

3.61/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy deep coppery brown with a foamy inch and a half cream head that dissipates at a moderate pace, leaving sticky, sparse lacing.

Earthy, minerally notes form the initial aroma. Floral hops surface next, with a slightly toasted, biscuity malt character. There's a touch of fruity sweetness.

Flavor definitely tends toward the bitter side. There's an initial fruity, honey sweetness that turns somewhat resiny, earthy, and bitter mid palate, finishing slightly peppery and minerally. Muted citrus notes emerge late.

Body is moderate and fairly silky, with carbonation a bit low, and slight alcohol warmth.

More bitter than my palate cares for, and the minerally character was overwhelming. Malt flavor was pretty understated.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 03:26:27 | More by barczar

BrazilianAussie

Brazil

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-16-2013 02:36:33 | More by BrazilianAussie

horshack7

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Amber in color with a light haze and an off white head around two fingers thick.

Aroma: Grapefruit, piney, tropical fruits, simple syrup. A light dryness from the citrusy hops.

Taste: Tropical fruits in the front with some light bready notes. Wisps of lemon zest, grapefruit with a smooth mouthfeel.

Notes: Very drinkable quite good for a warm day or even a cool night. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 00:15:24 | More by horshack7

largadeer

California

3/5  rDev -21.3%

05-08-2013 19:23:47 | More by largadeer

2beerdogs

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-29-2013 05:45:33 | More by 2beerdogs

BeerBeast

California

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-12-2013 23:21:21 | More by BeerBeast

BRD14

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-04-2013 03:17:19 | More by BRD14

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz bottle. Now (for how long, I have no idea) called "Belk's ESB", at least as far as the label for this one is concerned, whose antlered-up brown bear depiction might seem more amusing after a few more of these, I'm sure.

This beer pours a clear medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, bubbly ecru head, which leaves a few swaths of upwardly mobile spectral lace around the glass as it slowly sinks away.

It smells of semi-sweet biscuity, bready malt, a mild drupe fruitiness, spicy, bitter, leafy hops, and a wisp of warming alcohol. The taste is sharply biscuity, grainy caramel malt, earthy yeast, bitter, zingy citrus and pine esters, a late-arriving bready pastry essence, and further spicy herbal hops.

The bubbles are a tad sassy, but agreeably par for the course, the body a decent medium weight, and mostly smooth - all that there biscuit and hop meddling does indeed take its toll. It finishes off-dry, the sweet bready caramel maintaining the chutzpah to deal with the still active old and new world hop phalanx.

A rather enjoyable little experiment, this forcing a West Coast idealism down a traditional English bitter's trusting throat. Anyways, the extra oomph here ensures that this particular ESB doesn't fall prey to the corner cutting prevalent in such offerings of late, from both sides of the Atlantic. Session worthy? Errrr, maybe, but by the third round or so, one might come to disagree, even if the robust flavour seems to indicate otherwise.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 01:16:47 | More by biboergosum

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

03-10-2013 20:11:38 | More by spycow

YamagamiTravis

Japan

4/5  rDev +5%

03-10-2013 12:16:19 | More by YamagamiTravis

CesarLopes

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-25-2013 00:39:40 | More by CesarLopes

HollyHops

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

02-24-2013 02:11:06 | More by HollyHops

ste5venla

California

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

02-21-2013 08:23:17 | More by ste5venla

sumpjh

California

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%

02-03-2013 13:12:07 | More by sumpjh

DmanGTR

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

01-28-2013 17:31:29 | More by DmanGTR

jman005

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

01-25-2013 23:00:59 | More by jman005

Brew33

Ohio

3/5  rDev -21.3%

01-22-2013 19:32:07 | More by Brew33

bifrost17

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

01-16-2013 05:57:34 | More by bifrost17

thomasarose

Tennessee

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

01-06-2013 15:18:17 | More by thomasarose

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +5%

12-26-2012 01:46:54 | More by cliff1066

sloelco

California

4/5  rDev +5%

12-26-2012 01:38:04 | More by sloelco

jkrich

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from an undated 12 oz. bottle: slightly hazy, golden with a foamy white-head that slowly receded leaving thick lacing on the glass.

The aroma is soft and mild fruit with some spicy hops coming through. Overall, somewhat restrained but fresh.

The flavor begins with a satisfying, herbal bitterness before settling into a spicy and fruity finish. The faint hop bitterness coats and lingers on the tongue after every sip. It reminds me of some very good English bitters only with a good American hop kick.

The body is somewhat light with zesty carbonation with a soft, gentle and clean mouthfeel followed by noticeable hop bitterness.

This is a very good, somewhat robust example of the style. Overall, it quite quaffable despite the high ABV.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 23:38:27 | More by jkrich

Chris_Cali_2o9

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%

11-20-2012 06:06:15 | More by Chris_Cali_2o9

marvmoreno

Philippines

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

11-08-2012 06:50:07 | More by marvmoreno