Stoudt's Scarlet Lady ESB - Stoudts Brewing Co.

WissBrauSean

Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This beer poured from a 50 degree F bottle into a standard pint glass produced a clear amber/ copper beer with a nice bone white one finger head that stays as a nice frothy cap the entire drink and leaves a shark tooth lacing pattern on the glass that falls back down to the head. Pretty cool!

Initially I smelled mostly caramel malts with a little breadiness to it, but as it got warmer some earthy notes as well as dark fruit notes came out.

As I get further into the beer flavours of sour apple, bread, caramel malts are pretty evenly distributed followed by some earthy hops and a bit of tannins and mild black pepper.

The mouthfeel is mildly sweet, moderately light, and has a dry finish. A bit of a slippery feel is left on the tongue and the carbonation is about medium and maybe just a tad, just a tad, bit lively. I like it a lot and think that I can drink the heck out of this beer!

Overall, I like this beer a lot. I think it fits into the style very well and would recommend trying it to anyone who likes English beers. The only thing that detracts from this beer for me is the tannin taste and it's not over the top at all so I am going to give this beer a solid 4 out of 5!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 23:13:02 | More by WissBrauSean

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.8/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady ESB has a thin, off-white head, some sheen of lacing left on the glass, and a brilliant, bubbly, off-white head. The aroma is of brown bread crust and dank fruit. Taste is of brown bread crust, some sugar, a little bitterness, and tannin. The mouthfeel is light to medium, and Stoudt’s Scarlet Lady ESB finishes dry, refreshing, and highly drinkable. The tannin aspect holds it back a bit, but it’s still very good and worth checking out.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 18:35:30 | More by RonaldTheriot

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.74/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle. Served in a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass, the beer pours a slightly hazy reddish/amber color with a half inch off-white head that stayed around for a little while. There's also a good amount of lacing. The brew smells like tart apples, herbal/floral hops and some caramel malt. It tastes like herbal/floral hops, toasted and bready malt, tart apples, and some nuts and tea. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick with moderate carbonation. I think it's a solid beer, it's definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 23:28:32 | More by bluejacket74

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Clear amber with two-finger, off-white, frothy head that lasted several minutes. Pretty good lacing.

S: Sour apple. Mild.

T: Light sweetness and light bitterness. Toasted malt and slight tang. Not much sweetness or hop bitterness to speak of. Kind of plain.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Slightly dry.

O: Average ESB.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 00:47:21 | More by SolipsismalCat

lovindahops

New York

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- scarlet lady pours a copper body with a frothy head of foam that quickly recides

S- faint dry apple scent that is bundled with a buttered scent as well. Even a little herbal component

T- very bitter and sweet flavor simultaneously. There is a fruity component that really fits in well with the sour apple taste

M- thin but carbonated with flavor

O- very bitter brew from stoudts that is drinkable

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 21:41:42 | More by lovindahops

tdm168

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - dark amber with some ruby edges; there is a nice, soft, off white head that leaves a thin lacing

S - juicy dark fruit,faint baked apple, caramel

T - caramel, fruit, bitter, earthy, faintly medicinal

M - medium bodied, crisp, a tad overcarbonated

This a decent ESB, but it has a few off notes. The medicinal underpinnings I'm not fond of. It's also a bit more bitter than I would have liked. I did the big fruity notes provided by the yeast and I thought it had a decent grain bill. If you're a fan of the style, then you definitely have to check it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 00:25:09 | More by tdm168

superspak

Michigan

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 9/28/2012. Pours lightly hazy orange copper color with a nice 1-2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some good foamy lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of caramel, orange, biscuit, nuttiness, toast, herbal, grass, and light earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of caramel, biscuit, toast, nuttiness, orange, herbal, floral, grapefruit, grass, and light earth. Lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, and citrus on the finish for a good bit. Very well balanced with nice amount of toasty flavors. No cloying flavors on the finish at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with zero warming noticed on the finish. Overall this is a damn nice ESB! Very flavorful and well balanced; very smooth and drinkable. No complaints at all, really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 03:08:06 | More by superspak

kylehay2004

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Two finger head on a cloudy amber with golden hues body and some lacing. Aroma is very mild with breads, barely and caramel malts. Flavor is also of breads and caramel with a slight tart fruitness which some ESBs overdue. Medium body that is a bit chewy with moderate to high carbonation. A decent and drinkable beer. Not very exciting and unidimensional.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 00:23:19 | More by kylehay2004

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a roasted amber, with hints of honey gold, burnt orange, tan, ochre, and gold. A 1/4" head reduces to a skim and remains, with a decent amount of carbonation feeding it.

Smell is subdued toffee malt, with a bready malt bottom.

Starts with a smooth malt backbone, punctuated by a tangy, almost tart lemon bitterness. There's a grassy, almost herby taste that hits three-quarters of the way through the sip.The finish is dry, bitter, and again almost tart.

Light bodied, with enough of a bitter tang to keep it interesting. The tongue gets sticky as you work your way through this.

A decent enough brew, pleasant and east drinking, though I'm not much of a fan of this aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 02:18:08 | More by TheHoppiest

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-slightly cloudy relish amber color with an off-white head and some lacing

S-biscuit, fruit, caramel

T-caramel and fruit, toasted bread, mild bitterness in the finish

F-medium body with light to moderate carbonation, smooth slick mouthfeel

O-a decent beer but just a little too much sweetness for me to want to seek it out

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 12:18:06 | More by MDDMD

Pahn

New York

4.1/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle into Duvel tulip. Best by 8/14/12, though the numbers are a little smeared.

Appearance: Free pour yields a one and half inch fluffy offwhite head that dissipates slowly. Pours a hazy copper and leaves a few splashes of lacing.

Smell: Fresh pastry and marzipan. Bready malt underneath. A clear, almost-fruity cola note comes out with time, sort of "cutting the richness" of the aroma. Cake-like malt forward aromas stay pretty strong over time though, and really brings out the different malt flavors in the beer. Some nice caramel notes pop up as well.

Taste: A little watery up front, then all the malt depth of the aroma comes out in the flavor. Various pale malt and caramel malt flavors come through, tasting like country bread, gooey pastries, whole grains, with Willamette hops lurking around here and there. Finishes very clean, feel-wise, but has a lingering white bread aftertaste.

Lots of great flavor and balance here. There's a decent bitter bite in the middle that doesn't so much restrain the malt flavors (which aren't overly sweet to begin with) as it adds a nice crispness to the feel; just works well with the carbonation to excite the palate. The malty flavors develop with time, and I notice different things with every sip.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Somehow both watery and creamy. High side of moderate carbonation. Clean finish.

Overall: Stoudts does beers like this (lower alcohol than most craft beer, lots of flavor, emphasis on balance) so well. It's rare to find malt flavor this robust in American beers that aren't stouts/porters or high ABV. This beer is right up my alley.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2012 05:55:45 | More by Pahn

smakawhat

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A nice off white and fluffly head, manages maybe just a little over a finger, sitting on a very dark red amber body, kind of dull a bit, not much noticeable carbonation but pretty clear.

Nose is a real nice toasty cinnamon and malt. Subdued sweetness and an appealing baked sense. Seems like a nice smelling brew.

Mid palate seems a bit wet, and all the flavor is in the swallow. Faint toasty malts and bread, with a good mix of herbal tea like finishing. Very light palate though, almost nearly nothing to taste upon first sip. A nice hop English IPA like finish on this so slightly. Palate after some time brings out some milky chocolate.

Overall not bad, you could do worse fairly enjoyable. I could have this again, but don't desire it.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 21:00:32 | More by smakawhat

KTCamm

New Jersey

3.83/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a twelve ounce bottle into a pint glass.

Pours reddish copper. Some foam, but no layer remains. Malty smell. Caramel notes. Smooth mellow malty taste. Light hop. A little sweet. Some toffee too. Very tasty. A mild english ale, very simple, but good.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 12:29:32 | More by KTCamm

magine

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a nonic glass.

Pours a clear, slightly hazed amber with copper red edges. Off white head is thick and settles to a nice layer. Head settles to a lacy island. No lace to speak of. Lack of lace hurts.

Brew smells of caramel malts, biscuit and faint hops. Average nose.

Brew is malty smooth up front and has sweet fruity hops as well. Lots of malts here in the middle. Giving way to a crisper hop finish. Caramel malts, biscuit, fruit hops some floral hop resin as well left behind. A good solid brew here.

Great session brew; good flavors and feel here. A nice case drinking type brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 01:20:57 | More by magine

horshack7

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: It's a dark amber red with a few brown hues. On top is an off white head that leaves a little bit of lacing upon thinning out.

Aroma: Sweet fruits in the front some pistachio notes and a few almonds. Bready malts, caramel both citrus and floral make themselves known.

Taste: Toffee, bready malts, almonds, light citrus fruit but mostly malt forward. Chewy mouthfeel with a light stickiness.

Notes: Nice and malt forward and very drinkable. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 02:19:08 | More by horshack7

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I poured this one itno a pint glass, it has a amber color body with not head or lace. The smell is of toasted bread and a nutty aroma. The taste has a nice nuttiness to it and some carmel notes with a little bit of hops closer to the back of the tongue. The mouth feel is nice well balanced and overall is a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 06:00:21 | More by chefhatt

paulginva

Virginia

3.23/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

APPEARANCE: This beer, poured from a bottle into a pint glass, produced a very small (1/4" max) light tan fizzy head with thin head lacing that had virtually no retention. The body was a softly carbonated cloudy deep copper color.

AROMA: The most dominant scent was the enticing sweetness of caramel, with toasted bread, a bit of nuttiness, and a modest amount of other malts, a pleasant overlay of light, grassy hops and a slight whiff of oak.

TASTE: A little lower sweetness than I expected and hops are a bit more prominent, but overall it is nicely balanced. Moderate toasted malts and caramel with a bit of breadiness. Again, an overlay of light grassy hops with maybe a slight taste of citrus and a hint of banana.

MOUTHFEEL: This beer seemed to be moderately full bodied with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. There was virtually no body lacing and what there was dissipated very quickly. The initial flavor was highly sweet. That moderated to a somewhat satisfying light sweetness and a moderate hop bitterness at the end of a medium finish. There was a slightly bitter aftertaste.

DRINKABILITY: This is a pretty simple brew and would be easy to drink all day. It's a decent, but not great example of an ESB but would probably be better suited to use in the spring or fall, as opposed to the summer, due to its fullness. It's a little different than a standard ESB. That doesn't mean better or worse -- just a little different than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 22:49:17 | More by paulginva

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This will be my first beer in this style, so I'm not quite sure what to expect.

Pours a nice deep copper color, with a hint of orange-pink almost. About a finger of off-white head, little retention.

Smells of bready, light malt and a bit of citrus that even smells a bit metallic... not sure if I like this, but what the heck. I've smelled worse.

The taste is probably the best part about the beer. But it's still nothing to write home about. Very balanced, there's just a bit of tangy bite on the front, nicely followed by a light, sweet malt backbone.

The mouthfeel does compliment the flavor nicely, however. I feel that it's just right. Just a little prickly, but not so much as to make the beer seem more bitter than it really is. Well done.

Overall, a pleasing beer. If this was readily available, I would have no problem with having a few of these. But for now, it's off to more adventures in beer tasting...

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 02:32:55 | More by troysoy2

BayouBengal1537

Louisiana

3.8/5  rDev +5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into pint glass. This review taken from notes on iphone.
Pours a nice reddish copper amber color, white fluffy head. Smells of caramel malts, grassy and earthy hops, bready. Taste I get some citrus, earthy hops along with sweet malt - nicely balanced. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation, nice dry finish. Overall a very enjoyable ESB, this is becoming a favorite style for myself.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 18:17:24 | More by BayouBengal1537

bucklemyshoe

Georgia

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Bronze with a finger and a half of light tan head.

S: Light toasty malts, faint herbal hops, and a little bit of smoke.

T: Caramel and toasty malts, medicinal-like fruity notes, and some rye.

M: Medium body thickness with some creamy texture.

O: It's an average, boring ESB with weird twists here and there.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 15:21:17 | More by bucklemyshoe

rdub

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I love PA brews! Loved the balance on this one. Poured a nice copper/red color into a standard pint. Fluffy white head disippated to half inch foam. Soft aroma typical of ESB with bready malt followed by moderate hops. Like I mentioned above, nice balance. Drinkability was high due to the smooth carbonation and light body. Would seek out to try on tap.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 19:03:43 | More by rdub

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

3rd Stoudts beer of the night poured into my Sam Adams perfect pint.

A - Dark amber brown that's clear in color. Head is a bit opaque in color and I got a nice inch with some good sticky lacing.

S - Smells of malts and sweetness of caramel soaked breads and some herbal tea.

T - Wow I got less sweet than I expected. More grassy hops and dry herbal tea flavors. Finish is kind of dry as well. Not very sweet.

M - Light to medium but the dry factor makes this one hard to drink.

Overall I have had a few ESB's in my time but this is surely the driest one and less sweet than all the others. Still if you like iced tea without honey or sugar this dry ESB could be right up your alley. For me I will stick to their Pale ale or lagers.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2011 01:54:45 | More by DrDemento456

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a slightly hazed, reddish amber with blonde highlights. 1 finger of fluffy head dissipates slowly to a creamy topper. Good lacing and moderate carbonation. There is some black sediment that floats around in the glass that I really don't know what to make of.

N: Strong caramel aromas and a hint of floral (maybe grassy) hops.

T: Black tea, grapefruit and floral hops upfront followed by caramel malts, some grassiness and a hint of lemon. Finishes grassy and floral with a light bitterness.

M: Light bodied, crisp, clean and refreshing.

O: This beer sort of tastes like home brewed iced tea. This is a solid ESB but is nothing special. However it is very refreshing and would make for an easy session ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 19:22:22 | More by justintcoons

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle with "Best Before 12/22/11" stamped on the side of the bottle.

Pours an inviting reddish-bown color with good clarity. Cream colored head stood about one finger tall and has since settled to a thin lace. Moderate head retention.

Smell is very clean and malty with some grassy hops in there as well. Rather tame and mild aroma overall.

Super balanced beer here. Smooth and malty up front, and then you get a touch of bitterness towards the middle, with a slightly nutty finish.

Thin to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

A good example of the style that leans more towards the true English examples than the hopped up American ESBs.

Morey's Bottom Line: A good fall beer IMO. Especially if you're burned out on Oktoberfest style beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 20:59:39 | More by Morey

Samp01

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle. Pours a dark reddish amber with a short lived tan head. Sweet caramel malt, some dark fruity notes and sweet tones of dates fill the nose. Taste is sweet caramel malts some sweet dates and dark fruits with some light hops. Palate is nice medium body with moderate carbonation. The finish sweet caramel malts with tones of dark fruits, and dates balanced by some late hoppiness in the ending. Overall a good drinkable ESB.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 19:59:05 | More by Samp01