Brewery: Green Man Brewery
Beer: ESB
ABV: 5.5%
I sat down at my kitchen table on Easter Sunday listening to Odetta on vinyl. I had just finished eating a homemade eggs benedict (shout out to Hollandaise sauces everywhere), and decided to migrate over to beer. I wasn’t looking for any particular flavor on this Sunday, as I had just inhaled a plateful of deliciousness, so I reached for a beer that fits the “just because I want a beer” category.
The ESB from Asheville’s Green Man Brewery is a very accessible beer. It’s an amber ale, which is generally a malt-driven style intended to be broadly appealing. The ESB is a successful example of this catch-call intent. It’s straightforward, balanced, and easy to drink.
I poured the very dark colored amber into my usual glass. There was no discernible smell beyond that of just plain old beer. The darkness of the ESB is a bit misleading, however. When I think of darker beers, generally I think heavy. This beer is anything but heavy. Light, crisp, malty, and best enjoyed cold, the ESB is a beer made for people who might not be beer nerds, who might not like hops, who might just want a beer. At 5.5% ABV, a person could easily kick back a couple of these at a cookout with friends. The ESB is delightfully simple. It’s the perfect afternoon beer on a warm day; it’s the cold one after work, the easy choice on an indecisive evening, a gift for a friend who hates IPAs.
The Green Man Brewery offers an array of tasty beverages that span the palate. I happened upon them on a Friday in January when they were participating in one of the free Friday tastings at Sam’s Quik Shop. As usual, I made my way through the suite of offerings. Across the board, I was wholly impressed with this brewery. I am making a point to visit Green Man when I head out to Asheville this summer for some of that fresh mountain air.
Just because, here’s the Benedict that preceded this beer:
All original photos by Matia Guardabascio (The Editor).
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