Elysian The Wise ESB

Elysian The Wise ESB

A malty, reddish-copper-colored ale with strong hop character, allusive to the goddess Athena, patroness of warriors, weaving and wisdom. Bittered with Chinook and finished with Cascade and Columbus hops. Gold Medal Winner 2003 & 2004 GABF ESB Category.
3.5
338 reviews
Seattle, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Draft at Pour House, pours hazy copper with light head and not much lacing. Aroma of almonds, chocolate, hazelnut, milk, malt, and other nutty tones. Taste is milk chocolate, rye, creamy malt, and bitter grain. Good bit of columbus coming through as well. Light to medium body. Nice ESB.
3.1 Draft at the source. Clear golden color, medium white head. Aroma of grapefruit and pineapple. Taste is crisp bitter fruit.
3.5 Tap. Poured clear copper color with an average frothy off-white head that lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate complex hop and earthy malt aroma. Medium body with a smoot texture and soft carbonation. Medium toasted bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet finish of moderate duration. Solid drinkable beer.
3.4 Poured from tap at the Elysian brewery in Capitol Hill/Seattle. Amber orange with foamy head. Definatly bitter. Smooth though. butterscotch and malty. Good for the style.
3.5 Tap at Elysian on E Pike, Seattle, 27/05/13. Lightly hazed golden amber with a good sized off white head that retains well. Nose is hops, grapefruit, bitter orange, caramel malt. Taste comprises orange pith, light grapefruit notes, grass, hop bitterness. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, light hop bitterness in the finish. This is a tasty drop but way too hoppy to be considered an ESB ! Dear brewer ... come to England and try some ESB’s - not knocking your beer I enjoyed it but not what it says on the tin my old bean !
3.3 Toffee biscuit marmelade and vegetal notes on nose. Nice orange amber pour decent head good lace. Flavors of toffee marmelade and vegetal hops. Moderate hop bitterness easy drinkability somewhat unremarkable.
1.9 On tap at Elysian Brewhouse, Seattle. Unfortunatelly bad Bitter, one is enough for ever...
3.3 Hearty citrus aroma, especially. grapefruit. Flavor is more of the same, complimented by doughy malt. Amber-red hue, not too heady on tap. More American pale than English ESB.
2.9 On tap at St Augustine’s. Pours a clear dark amber with little head. Floral and citrus hop aroma. Flavor of malts and light citrus with moderate bitter finish. Nothing special.
3.7 650ml bomber pours a slightly hazy orangey amber color with a finger and a half of white head that leaves some thin spotty lacing behind. Aroma is caramel with some citrus and grass. Taste is a caramel malty sweetness with the citrus and grass hop bitterness. Very well balanced brew that is medium bodied with some nice carbonation providing great sensations on the palate. This is one of the better ESB’s I have tried to date and highly recommended.
3.9 I enjoy a good ESB and this might have been the best I’ve had. Having from a hand pump at the brewery didn’t hurt either. Pours a cloudy amber with a red tint. The aroma is all malt with some bread, yeast, caramel. The flavor has that and is balanced perfectly with the hops. Excellent.
3.8 Deep red character and good hoppy body accentuate this unique ESB. Head is non-present, with a nice gentle, but satisfying finish.
4.0 Copper amber with an off-white head. Aroma is slightly sweet malts, herbal, light citrus hops, and some bread. Medium body. Flavor is nice sweet malts, dough, a bit of zesty citrus hops. Light but sharp bitter bite on the back end. Highly enjoyable.
3.3 22 oz Bottle. Pours a hazy gold amber with light off-white head. Aroma of sweet caramel malts. Flavor is smooth and mostly malty, with a slight bitterness in the finish. Pretty good.
3.0 Pint from cask at The Met in NW. Color is a medium to darker amber; quite cloudy. Aroma and taste are very hoppy indeed. A bit too much so for my taste, but a great example of it’s type.
3.2 On tap @ Valhalla w Brandon and Erica. Nice dark red pour with medium white head. Aroma is burnt/toasted malt and a bit of caramel. Palate is mostly hop bitterness and a little sweetness. This is a rich, bitter beer with a medium-heavy mouthfeel. Not bad.
2.5 Really not my thing. Bitter metallic finish ruined it for me; the hops seemed very recognizable (spot the Cascades!) and it made for an undistinctive beer with negatives. (on tap at brewpub)
3.6 Pint at Elysian fields location..good aroma, bitter. Nutty caramel, citric bite. Brownish orange color, ok head, good lace. Bitter flavor.medium body, thick creamy mouthfeel. Dry finish. Pretty darn good. Nice bite in flavor. Aroma opened up nicely as warmed.
3.7 Thanks to 5000 for sending me this bottle. The beer pours a hazy orange-amber color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the papaya with some biscuit malt and grassy hops mixed in. The flavor is full of hop flavor. I get a lot of juicy orange notes, but the bitterness from the hops is negated by the biscuit and toffee malt. Overall, the bitterness is pretty low. There is also a little bit of grass from the hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very well balanced ESB. Very nice.
3.9 Bomber Bottle, this beer had a hazy dark red pour with various dark red hues and brown colors at the sides of the glass, the pour made a one finger head of off-white & light tan colored head that receded to a partial cover and small ring, this ale was too dark to see through but I could see bubbles at the sides of the glass, there were spots and fingers of lacing on the sides of the glass, I found a thin layer of dark sediment on the bottom of the bottle, this ale had nice aromas of caramel, chocolate, toasted malt, faint earthy hops in the background with brown sugar sweetness, there was faint fruit in the background (the caramel and chocolate were up front in this drink), the flavors were malty with toasted malt, chocolate and caramel, there was some hop bitterness to give balance, the mouth feel was a little less than medium and gave some creaminess on the palate, this was a nice drink, I enjoyed the aroma and flavor of this drink with the balance of malt and hops, I wish this beer was available in Michigan.
3.5 Draught at the Alibi Room, Vancouver Hazy copper color; creamy head. The aroma has some caramel and it’s a bit nutty and dusty. Quite good caramel flavor, nutty, with moderate residual sweetness, and good bitterness level; the hop is quite resiny, but not much fruity. Good.
3.0 Draught@Elysian Fields, Seattle Dark amber color, small steady off-white head, lace. Nutty, woody, a bit hoppy nose. Medium-bodied. Woody, citrusy hoppyness. Some nuttyness, but a bit too hoppy and too little caramel for ESB. Ok APA :)
3.1 Sampled from a 22oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy caramel-brown color with a large fluffy orange-cream head that lingered and left good lacing. The aroma was tart apple, pear and almost cinnamon. The flavor was tart and tangy apple, pear, nut, nutmeg and caramel. Medium length tangy finish. Medium body. Decent.
3.7 Draught @ The Alibi Room, Vancouver, BC Pours copper/amber with a foamy head. Aroma has notes of hops and grass. Taste is quite bitter with slight notes of pine and hops. Smooth finish, great ESB.
3.7 Aroma is earthy, amber-ish malts; also a pale-chlorine quality. Dusty brown sugar. The appearance is cloudy copper orange. Not much carbonation but a big head. Specks of lace. Slushy head remains. The flavor is sugary English-style bitter flavors. Sweet, nutty, malty. Hops are a flowery, herbal accent. Much more rounded off than the prickly aroma. The palate is fizzy anf fuzzy. Leaves a dry, dusty finish. A very nutty, English ESB; sugary but not saccharine. Dry and very British, and quite drinkable.
3.8 Bomber. Light amber and copper colored in appearance with a good inch of dense off-white head. Mostly caramel and bready malt notes in the aroma with a little bit of earthy hops. The taste is primarily a blend of caramel malt, toffee, biscuits and citrusy (orange, grapefruit) hops. The body is smooth and creamy with medium carbonation and finishes dry with some hops bitterness. Overall, a tasty brew that starts strong on the malt but finishes with a shot of hops flavors.
3.5 Nice coppery pour with a grass and prange peel aroma. A mild grapefruit taste with a dry hoppy finish. Pretty damn good for the style.
3.8 Such a tasty brew! 22oz bomber purchased from Brewforia.com. Aroma brings a nice balance of nutty malts, sweet caramel, and a twist of piney hops. Flavor goes through a steady progression with caramel dominating the front, with earthy malts and piney hops fighting each other for balance through the middle, finishing with dry, bitter piney hops. Generally creamy mouthfeel, no over-the-top flavors blasting your palate away, just a powerful ESB with great depth of flavor, aroma, and balance.
3.4 Location: Sampled at the NY Brewfest on Governor’s Island, 6/19/10 Aroma: Hoppy notes on the nose, pine, some wood, and a bit of caramel Appearance: This is a caramel colored beer with a beige head Flavor: It has a balanced flavor, medium sweet, medium bitter Palate: The body is medium with a soft mouthfeel and a dry finish Overall Impression: Overall, I thought this was a pretty good beer. It is a nice example of an American style ESB. I’d drink this one again.
4.1 1 oz Sample at the GABF in Denver. Fantasic copper rust color in the sample cup. Lively citrus hop aromas and flavors balanced with carmal malts and spice. Medium carbonation and long lasing end bitterness.