Harpoon Single Hop ESB.

From the 100 Barrel Series, session 31. I have a several of the recent 100 Barrel releases that I had been sitting on, but I decided there wasn't much point to it, especially for the hoppy ones. I'll keep the bottles, and I suppose that's the only collectible value here. I'm starting with the oldest first which is at least a year old at this point. Doh.

It's pouring pretty dark for what I know about ESBs and is coming off pretty malty too. I wonder if this is an oxidation effect, much like what happened to my homebrew tripel and DIPA. There's a reddish tinge and a low, creamy cap. It doesn't taste skunky or anything though, a bit biscuity, watery caramel. maybe a hint of hop bitter and astringency on the back end but not much to say anywhere else. The carb is low and smooth, as expected for an ESB, which is part of what makes them such great session beers. I wish I had cracked a bottle when it first came out so I would know if this is totally wacky or not now. I'll be working through the other 100 Barrels as quickly as I can.

• Appearance: Transparent, light brown, red tinge. Thin, creamy head.
• Smell: Biscuity.
• Taste: Somewhat malty, maybe almost chocolate-y, slight grassy notes that are not quite hoppy.
• Mouthfeel: Low, smooth carb. A very quaffable mouthfeel.
• Drinkability and Overall: In this state, I like everything about it except the taste. Could have been a great session-like beer.