Well Built E.S.B. - Breckenridge Brewery

denver10

Colorado

3.91/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

Pours burnt caramel brown with a khaki head. Aroma initially offesr a slight hit of some whiskey and its oak barrel that definitely comes on much stronger as it begins to warm up, caramel, toffee brown sugar and just a touch of some vanilla in the finish. Flavor is quite similar with some whiskey, oak, caramel and toffee, vanilla, and a slight kiss of some hops in the finish. A thin to maybe medium mouthfeel. Overall, Breck has impressed me lately with their barrel offerings. They really have figured things out since my initial experience trying their barrel aged vanilla porter (winter of '11). Really quite enjoyed this one a good deal. Have now tried via the bottle and on tap, and enjoyed it via both mediums. Glad to see Breck stepping their game up like this.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 03:19:23 | More by denver10

Homebrewer2012

2.93/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This is a strange one. Hazy reddish brown in color. Smells sweet and tangy. Taste includes tang, sort of a burnt sugar flavor, with slight bitterness and not much hop flavor. The tang reminds me a little of certain strong ales I've had (but those had 11+%, and this isn't even 8%). That makes it seem like a sipper, despite its moderate alcohol content. The burnt sugary note is slightly reminiscent of Dogfish Head India Brown Ale, though this isn't nearly as hoppy. There is a touch of wood, and this does make sit slightly more interesting. Overall, I'm disappointed I paid $15 for this, however, as it warms it does seem to gain some complexity, so definitely don't serve ice cold.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 02:15:09 | More by Homebrewer2012

beergoot

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Solid honey body with a rich, creamy, thick, off-white head. Sharp, woody and earthy aroma; malty; caramel. Phenolic tinged yet sweet malt taste; light hint of fruit; boozy. Medium bodied; fairly effervescent.

A rather disappointing ESB. Too biting and acrid; not enough soothing malt flavors. Balance just isn't there; burning, plastic taste overpowers any redeeming qualities...

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 23:59:28 | More by beergoot

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

You know when a steaming mug of hot cocoa with the little tiny marshmallows takes you back to the freezing cold hockey rinks of your youth? Or when a tart glass of fresh lemonade brings you to the hottest day of August, no matter what time of year? Some beverages just have that unique transformative ability to take you away somewhere, all five of your senses along for the ride. The Well Built ESB from Breckenridge takes this power to a whole new level.

Let me make two things clear. First, I am not wild about ESBs. The heavy doses of English malt, the cloying caramel sweetness, and that dusty ancient tasting finish, all with enough body to count as a meal. There is a time and a place, but I have rarely found it, and have been disappointed time and again by the style, especially American incarnations of it, which have always seemed half assed to me.

Second, I am not wild about Breckenridge Brewery. When I lived back east, I loved their Oatmeal Stout and their 471 IPA, both of which I still enjoy. Now that I live in Denver though, I’ve discovered most Breck offerings to be fairly generic, uninspired, and frankly not up to the very high beer standards of this fine metropolis. Time after time I got tooth aches from the sugary Vanilla Porter, got stomach aches from the artificial Agave Wheat, got head aches from the stupidly alcoholic Pandora’s Bock, and got downright bored to sleep by the Avalanche Amber. I had pretty much written Breck off as mediocre.

The Well Built is a very different story, and one I am happy to tell. It pours a lovely copper to ruby color from the corked bottle with some light haze and a lazy tan head that just sort of does its own thing. There is an element of intrigue in the color of this, a little familiar, but also a little exotic. The nose is intense. Its woody and definitely bourbon aged. There is charcoal, vanilla, dried red fruits, and bold English caramel malts, all in excellent balance. The flavor is a pleasurable mix of all of these components, but add in some warming alcohol, bittering hops, and a candied sweetness that rounds out the finish perfectly. The mouthfeel is a little flat from the barrel, but it works in a wine-like capacity here, forcing the careful drinker to contemplate each sip, a task that kindly rewards patience.

These however, are insights I obtained from my second bottle of Well Built, not my first.
The magic of this beer is maybe not even the beer itself, but where it takes you.
My first bottle was opened in the kitchen of my house with my girlfriend and two other couples. Not knowing what to expect, I pulled 3 wine glasses and poured this nectar evenly into them, so that each couple could share in the new beverage together. There had been some bickering and squabbling that evening. Somebody forgot to let the cat out and it pooped on the rug. Somebody else took too long getting ready and a dinner reservation was missed. I think I had accidentally used my girlfriend’s utility bill payment to buy this very beer. Nothing serious, but it was the kind of quarreling couples get into after they’ve been together for too long, and it had really soured the mood.

I decanted this baby to try to revive the night, bring up morale, and save my relationship from another night of disagreement over my irresponsibility. We each found a corner of the humble kitchen and started to sip on this. I heard a few oohs and aahs, but I was pretty focused on my own glass. My lady looked at me long and hard, and kissed me hotly. The next thing I knew, we were in a full on session of kissing and fondling there in the kitchen. I looked up and noticed both other couples getting jivey in a similar way. Before I knew it, the three couples all immediately made for the bedrooms and engaged in compelling acts of passion.

A few hours later I snuck out of my room to the bathroom. Passing through the kitchen I noticed the three glasses all had a drink or two left in them. They had been abandoned in the heat of the moment, but it was now obvious to me that this stuff was a powerful aphrodisiac. I picked up one of the glasses and finished it off, noticing how intense the flavors had gotten now that the beer was up to room temperature. One of the other guys came out with an exasperated look about him and emptied another of the glasses, giving me a nod that told me he knew what this beer had done for all of us.

In the morning, all six of us agreed that the Well Built was an impressive love potion. It independently took three feuding couples and physically brought them together. It has an amazing ability to take you to a place where you almost certainly always want to go, it is absolutely Well Built, and it is by far and away the best thing Breckenridge brewery ever built.

I strongly recommend that if you find a bottle of this, you get your hands on it. Share it with your lover and see what her hands will be on. It also goes expertly with aged semi-hard cheeses, but you don’t care about that…

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 23:31:16 | More by StonedTrippin

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a copper color with an off-white head. Sweet toffee aroma with a hint of vanilla and booze. Not much in the way of whiskey, light green apple. There is a hint of citrus peel and light floral hop aromas. The flavor is sweet and malty with lots of caramel and toffee, light toast, too. There is a bit of oak and vanilla, mild whiskey flavor, and a bit of alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 22:15:19 | More by womencantsail

RuckusDu

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this once before and it was delicious. Hope it still is. Bottle #1627 poured into CS SR globe. The cork was diss-formed as I pulled it out.

A - I gave it an aggressive pour and the head came out. About two fingers of solid cappuccino head. Looks thick. Body is cloudy and a deep brown color. Maybe some red in there. Great lacing.

S - Not feeling it here. Light and fresh with strawberries. A little artificial. Maybe some green berries as well. Earthy, but not great.

T - Why does Stranahan's taste so good? That is clearly the best part of this beer. Makes everything smooth. Slight dark fruits like prunes and cherries. Very sweet in vanilla, oak, and caramel. Mmmmm.

M - Great carbonation and body. Overall mouthfeel is wonderful.

O - Like I'm drinking some sort of mixed drink with carbonation and no alcohol with Strany's. Super smooth and nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 17:46:49 | More by RuckusDu

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.4/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured into a snifter. Bottle #0994.

3.5 A: Opaque mahogany brown color. Nearly three fingers of frothy/foamy beige head. Retention is good and plenty of lacing is left.

2.0 S: Weird. It smells like sorachi ace hops and plastic. It also smells like watered down whiskey, which it basically is. Lemongrass, earthiness, and a light fruitiness.

2.5 T: Tastes like it smells. Lemongrass, plastic, woody earthiness, light honeydew and apricot fruitiness. Vanilla and oak underneath. Strange and not quite desirable. I don't know if the weird off flavors are coming from the base beer, the whiskey, or the barrel aging process.

3.0 M: Lighter medium body. A bit overcarbonated. A bit bity and not particularly creamy.

2.0 D: The idea of putting an ESB in a whiskey barrel makes no sense to me. I had to buy it though to see how it would turn out though. Turns out it was a costly error as this was $15 or something absurd like that. This mainly tastes like watered down whiskey, but with off-flavors added. Not a beer worth your money.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 16:57:59 | More by DavoleBomb