Full Sail ESB

Appearance: pours a very cloudy orange / amber color with a short 1/2″ head that breaks down immediately.

Smell: caramel and a load of fruity sweetness is detectable.

Taste: grainy malt profile. Caramel, ripe fruits, and a hint of earthy tones arrive late. Decent bitterness here too.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smoother towards the finish. Aftertaste is very short.

Overall: an easy to drink beer that leans a bit on the sweeter side, but is brought a bit into check with the bitterness. Sessionable beer

Breckenridge/Stranahan’s Well Built ESB

Appearance: Pours a cloudy amber with a nice 2 finger head that dissipates fairly quick.

Smell: Well you could be drinking a whiskey if you didn’t know any better, not characteristic of an ESB but nice with notes of vanilla and oak.

Taste: Very sweet for an ESB and huge whiskey notes. Some malt comes though but hard to get past the whiskey thats overwhelming.

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation, alcohol taste is present.

Overall: A nice beer and cool collaboration between two colorado establishments. I would drink this again but it definitely does not fall into the ESB category by any means.

Exposure Brewing ESB

Appearance: The pour is amber/light copper with a creamy off-white head.

Smell: Some moderate caramel and toffee notes and a floral, earthy hoppiness. Not an overly intense nose, but appropriate for the style

Taste: Very bready on the palate with a light amount of hop bitterness. Not an overwhelming flavor profile, but sessionalable

Mouthfeel: The body is medium and so is the level of carbonation. The finish leaves a lingering bitterness.

Overall: Nice beer to have on a summer day, not huge in any department but a nice balanced beer. I guess I am a bit biased but I think it turned out nice.