ESB Amber Ale - Flying Fish Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

ESB Amber Ale is actually harvest orange with polished amber edges. The spongecake-like crown is toasted tan in color and has a quality look. As it deflates, an attractive necklace of lace is beginning to appear around the upper circumference of the glass.

At first blush, the nose is more malty than hoppy. On second, it's pretty well-balanced. The beer smells golden fruity, faintly toasted, musky and slightly spicy. This could be pretty good stuff.

Is ESB Amber Ale the new name for ESB Ale? The timing of the reviews for the two entries makes it seem as if the labels changed last fall. It's hard to believe that Flying Fish would brew such similar (and similarly named) beers. Their website lists only ESB Ale, so it may not yet be updated.

Flavor balance and sweet-bitter balance are probably this brew's biggest positives. The earthy nuttiness of Munich malt is appreciated, though not nearly to the extent as in an Oktoberfest. It adds another flavor facet for those who want to taste more than hops in their ESBs.

Magnum, Fuggles and Yakima Goldings hops provide a fruitiness (apricots and oranges) that tastes quasi-English. There's a hint of tanginess too, which adds even more interest. Unfortunately, the beer doesn't have that special spark that would allow the next highest taste score to be granted.

The mouthfeel has no major flaws. Nor minor ones. It's appropriate for the style and is properly bubbled. Drinkability (and sessionability) is on the high side if you have any interest whatsover in the style.

ESB Amber Ale is a solid effort from Flying Fish Brewing Company. It never really enters the stratosphere, but it does the job it was designed to do. Thanks to jwc215, my East Coast connection.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 13:27:27 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

picked up in a mixed sixer and poured into a shaker, this was one of about 9 new beers tried on this night.

pour is nice and even amber color with a slightly dark hint of color around the sides of the glass. nice white head has good retention and leaves a rocky and broken top in its wake. aroma is very complex, earthy hops, notes of light fruit, apples, peaches, apricots, an touches of citrus with mounds of fresh grass and grain. again very well put together.

more of the same as i work my way into the flavor. nice and clean with a very well rounded body an even profile. quick hits of hops, earthy malts and a nice and well balanced profile really come together very very nicely. overall a great little beer and really exactly what i was hopping for.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 14:24:45 | More by mikesgroove

brentk56

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear amber color with a fluffy white head that descends to 1/4" and leaves occasional splotches of lacing

Smell: Fruity/caramel aroma with earthy hop tones and a trace of minty astringency

Taste: Fruity/caramel up front, with an apricot aspect, that is joined, mid-palate, by an earthy, woody bitterness that also has that touch of minty astringency from the aroma; after the swallow, the tail end is nicely balanced

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: This one hits the style very well, with its only flaw coming from the astingent peculiarity

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2006 02:01:51 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia. Welcome to Georgia (or, more specifically, Total Wine stores in Georgia), Flying Fish!

Appearance: Pours a clear, copper-amber body with, despite a hearty pour, only a thin, white head.

Smell: Lightly sweet-scented, lightly spicy aroma of irregularly-sliced, delicately toasted white bread topped with dried apricots, a pinch of lemon peel, and dusted with spice.

Taste: Pale malts marked with light bready, toasty touches to it and given sweet additions of toffee and honey candy. Fruity accents of ripe apricot but also some lemony citrus. Predominately spicy-minded hops with a soft, balancing bitterness. A rebound of malty sweetness pushes back through the spiciness and bitterness, though things finish reasonably dry for the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-plus carbonation with a minute prickliness to it.

Drinkability: Not the most authentic ESB on the block, possibly the reason for tacking "Amber" onto the label, though possibly for a less baffling name for those not familiar with the style. Still, it's tasty, easy-drinking, and sensibly light on the alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2010 00:28:27 | More by ChainGangGuy

oberon

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was happy to try it on the machine but once I did,not impressed.I asked the bartender if this was the ESB because it didnt have any qualities to it and it was.Poured a golden color with a slight malty aroma,the taste was bitter not a good malty,fruity balance.Just not impressed at all I must say.

Serving type: cask

07-31-2003 03:10:05 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Slightly hazy amber with a lightly frothy off-white head that drops fairly quickly to a standard collar. It does, however, leave some thin and spotty lace throughout the glass. The aroma is mainly of yeasty fruitiness and a sweet and toasty malt with some very mild grassy hops in the background. The body is medium with an exceptionally fine and gentle carbonation that leaves it quite creamy in the mouth. Very nice! All of the Fish beers seem to have a similar maltiness and this is one of them, if not the finest example. It's fairly rich, lightly sweet, grainy, caramelish, and softly toasty - almost wort-like with some mild diacetyl thrown in. It's clearly balanced towards maltiness although some mild grassy/spicy hop character appears towards the finish. The bitterness is obviously toned down to allow the maltiness to take center stage. It finishes semi-dry with a short lingering sweet maltiness that's backed up by some light hop flavor and residual bitterness. Although it's not what I expect of an "ESB", it is a nicely malty ale that's quite unique and fairly enjoyable in its own way. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2002 19:48:50 | More by NeroFiddled

metter98

New York

3.55/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear yellowish orange in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high off white head that died down and left some bubbles on the surface and around the edge of the glass.
S: There are aromas of fruity yeast and sweet caramel malts in the nose.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell and has flavors of caramel with some sweetness and hints of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and somewhat smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is easy to drink and somewhat sessionable. I could definitely have a few of these in one evening.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 18:08:22 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: bright, deep crimson color, nice 1/4" , bubbly, off-white head.
Aroma: clean and airy, with underlying fruit (grapes, cherries) that flowers, then crisply closes.
Taste: easy entry on the palate, very little standing out, with a swift, forgettable finish. Fruitiness detected in nose recurrs in the flavor, comes back taste after taste, although body and texture are fairly light.
A nice ESB, not bad at all.
Thanks to jcalbi for this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2003 18:52:09 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

2.93/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours an amber color with a thin white lace head. The aroma is decent. It has a fine malty scent with a bit of bitterness to the nose. The taste is a little above average. It has a very intense malty flavor, but it is soured by a strong off-taste. There is something wrong with this beer. It tastes like it has an elevated abv., but it says it's only 5.5%. It is bitter and dry on the finish. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a medium/full bodied beer with less than adequate carbonation. This beer drinks hard. The flavor does nothing for me. I also need a little more carbonation here.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2004 01:31:00 | More by WesWes

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from NeroFiddled, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him.
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright amber color with a reddish hue, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a decent lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is malty and nutty with spice, caramel a little bit of hops.

T: The taste is loaded with caramelized malt & nuts, some spice and very little sweetness as you would expect. The hops presence is decent and gets slightly stronger as you progress through the glass. The after-taste is mildly bitter.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean and dry finish.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, excellent representation of style, even though I wouldn’t typically choose this style, this is definitely one of the better ESB’s that I’ve had.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2007 05:53:10 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a reddish copper color with a cream colored head that faded away pretty quickly. The lacing doesn't really show up too well either. The smell has a lot of grainy malts on the nose and not too much in way of hops. The taste had a pretty good ESB flavor to it but wasn't as good as the real thing. The mouthfeel was light on this kind of felt waters down.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 04:00:13 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, my 30th state reviewed,

A: Pours a hazy translucent copper with a mild white head. Average head retention, no lace.

S: Nice caramel like nose of Munich malt, almost has an Oktoberfest feel with a hint of sulphur and cove.

T: Munich malt dominates with just a hint of crystal. Nice minerality/salts, mild hopping with a light earthy finish.

M: Medium-bodied, frothy, mineral rich.

O: An odd beer, it says ESB, listed on BA as an American amber, but really comes off to me like an altbier. I enjoy the minerality, but the overall flavour especially the malt isn't making me go crazy. A nice beer, at the price, I'm happy.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 02:07:24 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice amber color with a medium sized head. The aroma has a nice mixture of sweet, floral tones, and hints of fruit. The taste is less than expected from the smell, but still tasty. Some sweetness is nicely balanced with the hops, but neither is strong. This is a medium bodied beer that has a slight bitter and fruity aftertaste, but does not linger around for long. I found this very drinkable and definitely could be a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2003 01:29:50 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours light amber with an ample head that descends to a thin cover. Some traces of thin lacing sticks to the glass.

The smelll is of lightly roasted caramel with a slightly floral backing.

The taste is of caramel and toast with a floral/earthy balance. Malt accented but with some bitterness mixed in. Fairly dry in the finish.

It has a medium body though there is something thin about it.

Seems more like an amber ale than an ESB, though I can see some English characteristics to it. Overall, a decent, "sessionable" ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 14:21:01 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Looks a nice amber-gold color with a short white head and thick lacing. I wish I could find this on cask or nitro, because it'd really rock with a creamier body. As is, there's a nice, smooth, caramel malt body with a touch of grassy/herbal hops in the aftertaste. Seems a bit sweet at first, but it slowly balanced by the hops. Overall, quite a nice session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2007 21:00:07 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Amber hazed hue with a nice foamy off white head elaves nice intricate lacing not bad at all let's do some tasting. Aroma: Caramel malts and hops interlace very nicely in the aromatics of this brew. Taste: Biscuit caramel malt sweetness represents with an undertow of flowery hops not bad at all similar profile to the Extra Pale which is a bit weird. Spices appear a bit stronger as the beer warms which catches me off guard , I guess the folks at Cherry Hill are using prepackaged spice and similar yeasts in each of their brews. Mouthfeel: Carbonation is a bit rough in this medium bodied ESB, becomes a bit cloying after awhile. Drinkability: Not bad not my type of session brew but interesting for an ESB not true English style in any way classified as a hybrid, it's ok.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2004 17:18:44 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an orange amber with a small amount of head. Nose is extremely mild wood. Very little to it. Flavor is a woody bitter. Fairly prevalent tang on the tongue as well. Not really a complex beer, but certainly isn't lacking. Feel has an attacking carbonation. Decent liquid feel. Overall it is drinkable, but not one to rush to the store for.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 20:06:51 | More by RblWthACoz

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a nonic)
A- The bright clear copper body has a creamy meringue head of beige that last for a bit. There is a gentle carbonation of big bubbles popping to the surface.
S- The soft green hops give way to a mellow slightly sweet malt and cream note in the finish.
T- The light toasted malt note has a sweet honey malt hint that turns watery in flavor as the beer opens up. There is a brassy green hops that hits the finish but doesn't linger.
M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a fizzy finish that cleans off the taste.
D- The malt has some nice sweetness but the flavor soon fades and the hops are mostly just bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 03:10:43 | More by rhoadsrage

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.03/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Good carbonation so it pours with a good head that fades leaving some lace. Cloudy coppery color/ The brewer's description of a malty start and hoppy finish is correct. The six malts they use is clearly noticeable which is nice for an ESB. Smoother than I would expect in a ESB but the bitterness is there.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2003 15:30:41 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz brown longneck bottle with the Flying Fish logo on the label, no freshness date.

Appearance: Deep slightly dark orange amber, nice clarity with patches of sticky lace trail down the glass from a well produced white head.

Smell: Clean aroma of fresh milled toasted grain, a little hay that has been in the sun for too long. Hints of caramel and leafy hop in the nose also but still clean.

Taste: Stable medium body, crispness lends a nice palatable texture, clean and refreshing. Big fresh burst of toasted malt and side of caramel. A little bit of juicy fruit from the fruitiness. Wood and earth flavours come from the hop flavour which also places a modest but cutting bitterness on the tongue. Finishes dry and full of toasted grain.

Notes: Decent American Brewed ESB, why not call it an American Amber Ale because that is what it is. Either way it is an easy drinking ale that is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2002 04:06:04 | More by Jason

mdfb79

New York

3.33/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From 5/15/10 notes. Had on tap at Danny's in Red Bank, NJ.

a - Pours a copper-amber color with an inch of white head and light carbonation.

s - Smells of bready malts and wheat. Also has some sourness to it.

t - Taste of bready malts, wheat, yeast, and maybe caramel malts. Little bit of bitterness to it as well.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

d - An ok beer but nothing great. Not a lot of bitterness and the sourness in the smell wasn't great. Wouldn't look to have again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2010 13:09:20 | More by mdfb79

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle via trade from jcalbi, against his better judgement. Thanks for the opportunity anyways.

Poured into an imperial pint glass, it's a foamer, with 4" of beige foam above 1 1/2" of clear amber brew. Meringey head finally calms down, leaving lots of hunks of foamy lacing in its wake. Aroma is lightly sweet, with citrusy hops. Taste follows along in the same vein, with a generic bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel is not bad, but remains a bit gassy, even after all the head formation, and drinkability is average as well. Not something I'd be running out to find, but doable in a pinch.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2006 17:40:55 | More by ppoitras

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Slightly hazed orangish copper tone. Slight bubbly ivory white head. This recedes to a bubbly collar quickly that leaves nice strings of lace. Some light whiffs of caramel and toffee mixed in with some herbal spiciness. The malts give this ESB a really nice toffeish base. It's a little buttery too. And peppery to a small extent. Nice flavor profile. The mouthfeel is light to moderate in its carbonation. And the body is almost medium. Nice tasting beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2005 03:44:22 | More by Bighuge

DoubleJ

California

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle, courtesy of a family friend's refrigerator. I think this is my first beer from New Jersey, so hooray. On to the beer:

Light copper/orange in color topped by a long lasting head with healthy rings of lace. Esters and diacetyl, espeically the latter, drown the nostrils. To taste, buttery toffee takes contorl at first. Then, some strong fruity esters merge with a hint fo strawberry. Burnt bread sticks around in the aftertaste.

A good ESB/amber...whatever you want to call it, though a touch out of round to make it an all-nighter.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2009 01:57:49 | More by DoubleJ

Gusler

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer after extraction from the 12-ounce bottle sets in the glass a lightly misty golden amber color with a generous white frothy head that after decomposition leaves a thin but concealing sheet of lace upon the glass. Nose malt dominated and sweet with a light hint of hops, quite crisp and fresh, start is sweet with a fair to middling grain presence and the top moderate in feel. Finish as a stern acidity with a nice pleasant hop spiciness that lingers long on the palate, quite dry and a nice drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2004 20:46:35 | More by Gusler