Boont ESB - Anderson Valley Brewing Company

jdhilt

New Hampshire

1.8/5  rDev -52.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

No question this is an ESB, strong, hoppy after taste. Very little aroma its all in the taste. Alcohol not noticable even though it's on the high side. Low carbonation. If you like a bitter this one is for you but it is not my style.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2002 18:30:41 | More by jdhilt

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

2.17/5  rDev -43%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Bottle poured into a pint glass

A: Dark yellow in color and has a surprisingly thick and spongy head.

S: It does smell a little bitter but also metallic, much like a typical adjunct lager, not the greatest comparison.

T/M: Tastes malty like a traditional ESB with a slight hoppy bite and little bit of that bitterness in the finish.

Overall, it’s relatively bland.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 00:30:40 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.25/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A hazy dull orange body makes a nice backdrop for the constant cascade of white carbonation bubbles. Off white head doesn't rise vertically much, but has nice retention and lacing.

Very floral with a slightly sweet bready and malty character.

Much more "busy" in the mouth. Crisp grainy flavor up front yields to significant yeasty sweetness and a noticeable alcohol burn (at only 6.8%?). Piny bitterness is significant- would be great in an IPA, but out of place for this style. Some sort of medicinal aftertaste lingers along with the pine down the throat. Not feeling this beer- it just doesn't come together nicely.

Overall impression- Disappointing ESB.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2009 23:42:25 | More by PDXHops

harrymel

Washington

2.45/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bottle date: nunya!
Pours an amber with a finger of light cream foam. This falls in a couple minutes to a beer with moderate lace. Smells of malts (english tone) with a bit of a hit of bitter, burnt caramel. This is the nose I generally look for in an ESB, but this is a little too subdued. Flavor is of malts and a weird, over powering flavor I place akin to sushi wrap (seaweed). Really this flavor is overpowering anything else I am tasting, unfortunately. The body is a bit thin with high carb and a semi dry finish. I'm a bit disappointed by this and would not likely order again on my own buck.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 09:50:57 | More by harrymel

littlejon326

California

2.48/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Im not sure why this is even classified as an ESB.

Pours a very hazy golden straw orange. Huge head that I appreciate.

Aroma was hoppy and herbal with a slight malt backbone and sublte alchohol bite...6.8% for an esb?

Taste was, in my opinion, too much for this style. Slightly piney but a little apricote/clove notes, malt halfway through with a lingering bitterness. To me, this beer seems more to style as an american pale bordering a *balanced* ipa.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 08:31:42 | More by littlejon326

gdogalishus

Maryland

2.63/5  rDev -31%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Serving from a bottle to tumbler
Serving temperature 47 degrees F
pH: 4.37
Alcohol Measured: 6.9% by Residual Extract Method

This ESB poured into my tumbler with a beautifully hazzy copper core surrounded by a cylinder of gold by the edges of the glass. The head was full and robust.
The aroma was cause for concern. I instantly noted a distinct yeasty/stale aroma that may be suggesting that this bottle has some oxidation issues.
The taste was mildly hoppy with little malt character. Bitterness was the main characteristic of this beer, and for an ESB is not out of character, but the oxidation made it through to the flavor as well.
I think I got an old bottle, and perhaps I should try another one before deciding that this is not a particularly good ESB, but the beer is whats in the bottle and I will review it as such. If I try another sometime and see a difference, I will update this review. For now, not a particularly good example of an ESB other than the appearance.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2006 21:09:14 | More by gdogalishus

Cresant

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -27.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this undated 12 oz. brown bottle into a nonic. A semi-cloudy body of golden honey color supported a minor head. A ring of white foam remained throughout.

Smell was caramel sweet. Piney and citrus. Floral notes. Rather spicy.

Taste is very APA-like. Caramel sweet taste reflected the aroma. Balanced but not subtle like a British ESB.

Mouthfeel was stylewise appropriate with mild carbonation. Not a standout in any characteristic but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2007 03:13:08 | More by Cresant

littlesgtpepper

Washington

2.85/5  rDev -25.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had a 6oz taster glass at AVBC.

A soft off-white head faded fast on this beer but had some nice lacing. A rather pretty deep honey color.

Maybe I had a bad batch? The scent is slightly skunky which was weird for Anderson Valley and kind of overpowered the smells of hops and malt.

Good strong hop flavor (Cascade hops maybe?), but not enough malt flavor. Something slightly floral is here too but I can't place it. A nice ending spicy bite.

ESB's are all about balance between hops and malt and this beer tends to lean more toward and IPA style. Not a bad beer but I won't go out of my way to try it again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2010 05:26:22 | More by littlesgtpepper

ThirstyBird

Germany

2.88/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a challis..I know weird but too lazy to switch from my last beer.
A - Hazy honey colored. 1/2 inch of light tan head falls to a mottled skim.
S - Big caramel malt nose with some fruity hops.
T - Damn hoppy, I get the malt for a moment then quickly the hops bombard. This is the most bitter ESB I've ever had. This baby is definitely not balanced. Lingering spicy and bitter.
M/F - Medium body, more carbonated than I would expect for an ESB.
D - I don't know about this one. I seems like somebody mixed an ESB with a hoppy IPA. Weird, seems like a wild pitch to use a baseball analogy for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 03:53:23 | More by ThirstyBird

jackndan

Illinois

3/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Belk’s ESB: Very nice looking amber beer with an off-white head. Very little aroma. Surprisingly mild taste, not as much hops bite as I’d expected at all. Some alcohol warmth, but this was not a lively or flavorful beer by my book.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2002 19:35:06 | More by jackndan

Chinon01

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance - Stiff head and spotty lacing

Smell - Roasted malt. Malty fig, maple, chocolaty, cocoa hint of coffee.

Taste - Deep coffee roasted flavor. More flavors found in smell. Sweet. A very unrestrained esb.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability - Diminished by noticeable sweetness for style.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2008 01:59:30 | More by Chinon01

Offa

California

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This is a decent beer that starts off well but quickly degrades, with good flavours falling away to leave overly strong, lasting bitterness out of all proportion to flavour.

It looks quite good with a light copper body and fairly big off-white head slowly shrinking to a lasting, thin creamy top and a hint of lace.

The aroma is caramelly and with a leafy hint, bread crust, cirtus (mostly grapefruit), and a little like Lagunitas Censored. Unlike Censored, however, after a little bit, as it warms slightly, it degrades into an overall characteristic of old sweat.

The taste is caramelly, bready, and fruity up front - fairly, tasty, and interesting - with clear sweetness that is a little too thick and unbalanced but then an overly strong bitterness of grapefruit-pulp flavour, takes over. This bitterness loses some of its flavour but becomes more sharp and lasts through the fairly quick finish of cracker and bread to leave a lingering, overly bitter, almost acrid, aftertaste. The worst part is this overly bitter, sharp, grapefruit-pulp end. It also lacks balance in that it is simply sweet up front and bitter in the end, without the two meshing. This is too bad becomes it has some nice flavours and zestiness up front, has a promising start, and has enough bitterness and sweetness to be interesting. They just need to blend and balance these better and tone down the sharpness of the bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2008 18:27:27 | More by Offa

KBomb

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice bottle, makes me miss the great American west. Decent color, dark gold with an orange glow. Two fingers of fluffy, lasting head. Smell is subtle: orange peel hops and a kiss of spice. Taste is quite bitter: hop character has notes of citrus and pine. To me this tastes a little more like a Pale Ale than an ESB. Lacking some malt flavor to balance the hops. There's a tinge of metallic taste at the end of the sip. A little oily mouthfeel, heaviness limits drinkability.

Its not a terrible beer, but I couldn't help but walk away from it slightly disappointed. I feel like ESB should be a little more balanced; and this particular beer seems to suffer a couple of miscues.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2009 22:03:55 | More by KBomb

hotstuff

Indiana

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Dayton, OH AleFest:This beer consisted of a small sized tan head with fine-small sized bubbles that quickly diminished.The body of this beer was clear and its hue was orange.The nose was very hoppy and malty.It had a very heavy bitter flavor to it that lingered for quite some time.The palate was tingly on my tongue and medium bodied.This beer was just too bitter for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2003 16:09:02 | More by hotstuff

jaluria

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured a light copper color with a soft, white colored head. Moderate level of carbonation was present. A bit of lacing could be seen in my pint glass. Aromas of roasted malt, dried fruit (apricot), and mead/honey seemed to come out nicely. The taste was that of malt with a subtle hop presence that grows over time. Quite dry and a bit over carbonated in my mouth, but still good. The smoked/burnt flavors also gained strength as I continued to drink this beer. Overall, an good beer, but one that I would not have several of.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2006 15:07:01 | More by jaluria

ccrida

Oregon

3.1/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz. bomber into a shaker glass, the Boont ESB is hazy burnt orange with a tall, rocky light khaki head, that took a while to subside to a thick skim leaving decent lace. Very nice!
The aroma is pretty grainy, like bread dough, moderately strong and really not that appealing. Maybe I didn't make the best choice of glassware, as this shaker is pretty wide-mouthed, but I really doubt thats it.
After the smell, the taste is a welcome suprise, with better flavor and more depth then I expected. While it's certainly heavy on the grains, nice and bready, there is also a nice balance of fruity esters, some piney flavoring hops and a firm bitter finish, hiding any trace of the ABV. Is this beer awesome? No, not even one of my favorite West Coast big ESBs...but it's certainly not bad, and is well crafted.
The mouthfeel is a bit oily, with moderate carbonation and body.
The is not the most drinkable ESB in my book. It's a bit heavy on the alcohol, even if it is totally hidden, and not so tasty that I just couldn't get enough. Although it's a smooth and easy drinker, the bittering hops build on the tongue, and could have used more aroma to balance them out. All and all, not bad, but not one I'll be buying again most likely.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2007 00:48:35 | More by ccrida

TheTrevor

New York

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer poured a yellowy amber with a two-finger off-white head. The smell is a little malty. The taste is pleasantly hoppy with some floral and piney notes with a not unpleasant bitter hop bite toward the end. The mouthfeel is crisp, and I would consider this to be a fairly drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 01:56:53 | More by TheTrevor

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Fine ambery color, white head. Aroma? not much, really... a touch of citrus, and not much more. Taste is good, however, nice and smooth, and sweet and highly drinkable. We get some hoppy notes on the palate, some touches of grapefruit and ...it drinks well. Sorry, ESB is far from my favorite style, does very little for me, but for those who do like them, here it is...

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2003 01:25:30 | More by feloniousmonk

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.18/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A nice deep copper color, pours with a cream colored head. There is a slight amount of chill haze present. Smells malty with a bit of sourness to it, maybe some sort of musty character as well. There is lots of caramel malt character in this beer. It ends with nice amount of bitterness, and there is a sharp bitterness at the beginning to. There is not too much hop flavor or aroma in this beer. Though as it warms up a definite hop flavor starts to assert itself. This is a nice solid beer, but it could use a few more dimension to it. I expected a bit more hop flavor from this brewery. There is a bit of grassy - hoppy notes to it though. Some biscuity flavors to this beer as well.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2003 16:50:18 | More by Gueuzedude

xgrigorix

Michigan

3.18/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Twelve ounce brown bottle - no dates.

Medium amber in colour. Topped by a frothy off white head, which leaves some nice lace behind.

Biscuity grain aromas & raw hop notes.

Quite sweet, grainy. Rough & raw hops. Medium-full bodied, moderate carbonation. Alcohol comes right through. A brash American interpretation of an ESB, that leaves me wanting.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2005 18:20:53 | More by xgrigorix

Rizalini

Nevada

3.18/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Golden yellow in color, with a foamy, bubbly white head that disipates quickly.

S - Sweet malt aromas, almost butterscotch-like.

T - Sweet maltiness transfers from the aroma overpowers the hop flavor. Kinda has a sweet tea taste on the front.

M - Light-medium mouthfeel. Slighty coats the tongue.

D - Drinks crisp and buttery. A refreshing beer that would be great on a warm day.

**This is the 1st ESB I've ever had, and it wasn't as bitter as i expected... a little too sweet for my liking.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2011 08:05:57 | More by Rizalini

Brent

Kentucky

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very sweet aroma, almost like cotton candy, but the sweetness was not carried in the flavor, which had a citrus finish. Very assertive.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2001 16:40:15 | More by Brent

woemad

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle purchased at Huckleberry's in Spokane for $1.49.

Poured a cloudy orange color. Medium-sized white head. Lots of lacing.

Smell is of spicy & floral hops. I detected no maltiness in the aroma.

Taste is great...for a hoppy U.S. pale ale. Seriously, if drinking this blind, I'd never imagine this is an ESB, its just way too hoppy. It doesn't taste bad, it just isn't correct for the style at all. What maltiness there is in the taste is strictly a supporting player relegated to the background. This won't be stealing Fuller's ESB's thunder anytime soon.

Mouthfeel is fine, nothing to complain about. Nothing to rave about either.

This tastes just like a pale ale, and if that is what you are in the mood for, this could be a great session beer. I was expecting something closer to a classic Fuller's ESB. I mean, hell, the whole style is based on Fullers. Therefore, I graded down on drinkability. Also, the 6.8%abv is a little high for sustained consumption.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2004 09:25:38 | More by woemad

Floydster

California

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22 ounce bottle/bomber purchased from Cooke's Family Market in El Segundo

Poured into a pint glass with a medium brown color and a thick white head, almost an inch

Smell was very piney and had a very small amount of citrus

Taste was overcome by bitterness, wow this is a strong ESB

Could not drink too many of these, maybe another bottle max

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2007 20:22:49 | More by Floydster

sabinelr

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I gotta say, I got two bottles of this from Fred Meyer for the price and the ABV. The smell reminds one of normal American beer, and my first bottle seemed to be hard to drink. It has a strong malt flavor mixed with a reasonable hop flavor, but I couldn't get behind it. Today I knocked off a bottle of Eel River IPA and and Old Rasputin, then drank the second bottle. Now it comes across as a competent but not exciting stronger beer. If anyone can remember Rainier's old Not So Light variety, this is reminiscent of that with more malt flavor. I would say recommended for a fun evening of microbrew binge drinking, but take it after something more distinctive.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 03:01:50 | More by sabinelr