Sweetwater Motor Boat

Our titillating version of an ESB!

Built for speed and comfort, this baby will slap you silly as soon as you hit the throttle.

Dive in with your eyes wide open, you old sailor you!

3.5

220 reviews

Atlanta, United States

Community reviews

4.0 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a clear medium copper with a very thick and billowy off-white head. Amazing, rock hard head retention but somewhat lacking in lacing. Lots of citrusy American hops in the aroma along with a moderate amount of toasted malt and some caramel. Really nice hops/malt balance here. Lots of juicy, citrusy hops up front quickly followed by toast and caramel and a touch of roast. Hops are a bit fleeting, though, as they fade away a little too quick as does the malt flavor. What you are left with is a lingering light sweetness and a mild bitterness. It is very pleasant although I wish the flavors were a little more bold. Overall, a very nice beer from Sweetwater. Really fits the fall season and a nice alternative to pumpkin brews and Oktoberfests.

3.9 Smells like the epitome of a ESB. A little malty. A little hops. A little spicy. Looks fine. Pale brown caramel color. Good head retention. Tastes like the smell. Malty, a little bitter. A little spicy. Palate is fine. Smooth. Huh almost a little rubber taste in there. Overall I don’t really like esbs but this is great for the style. I’ve heard great things about sweetwater so I may continue to check them out.

2.9 translucent amber with a thick beige head. medium body with medium-high carbonation. seems thin but resinous and foamy, so has a self-conflicting mouthfeel, and gives a sort of awkward and gassy drinking experience. aroma: citrusy american hops, worty pale and crystal malts. taste: astringent grain, boiled hop residue (like a hop bag right when it’s pulled out of the kettle after an hour-long boil), caramel malt, and some yeastiness. seems like an english recipe and yeast strain, but american grains and hops.

3.9 Great aroma of juicy peach and apricot. Slight malt influence with flickers of caramel. Appears as it should tan head a top a burnt orange brown body. Taste is bright fruit with balanced back end bitterness. Very solid esb.

3.3 12oz bottle pours a clear, brick red with some cloudy, white head. Nice nose, dried leaves, some fruit, some peach, malt. Flavor is malty, sweet, fruity, light citrus bite. Clean finish.

3.7 Bottle from Total wine stuart. pours brown with an inch of khaki foam. a little bit of malt on the nose. Finally a bitter that tastes bitter. Nice hop presence that leaves a gift on the finish. Nice!

3.9 This beer was poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. This beer has a decent appearance with a nice copper color with a decent one finger head and some decent lacing to it. The smell is the worst part of the beer (thankfully, I dont buy beers to smell them) and has a mild bitter and carmel smell to it (would like more the smell to be bitter). The taste of the beer fits well into the ESB style beer, has a great malty, carmel flavor with some great back door bitterness to it. The afterfeel is okay with some mild bitterness and some carmel flavoring to it. Overall, I wish this beer was distrib uted in my area, but will hopefully be picked up and sent back to me upon its future release....I look forward to it again.

2.4 translucent amber, thin white head falls to a few large clumped bubbles. Hoppy nose, light caramel malt, oily. Sticky sweet flavor, orange candy mid, thick through the oversweet end. Oily, coats lips, sticky and burdensome. Started nice but fell apart.

3.2 12oz bottle, thanks nmann08. ASmall off-white head atop crystal clear dark amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, some orange, light spicy, honey. Taste is moderately sweet, caramel, bread, some orange, spicy. Light-medium body.

3.9 Golden pour. Bready malt, toast, and earthy, citrusy hops on the nose. Flavor profile is balanced between toast and American hop varieties. Medium body. Good, very good.

3.3 Bottle. Poured a golden, slightly copper color with a solid, wispy head. Aroma was notes of sweet malts, hops, a touch earthy notes. Sweet notes of hops, malts, sweetness, refreshing.

3.7 Got at Kroger’s on Broadway in Fountain City. Dark Amber. Long, beige head. Aroma: Grapefruit, earthy hops, perfume. Flavor: Same with some caramel, dry. Bitter finish. As to the comment, I am an "Old Sailor" and I approve of this brew.

2.3 Bottle. Served without a glass, so I can’t see the color - and no head, of course. Aroma is a tough one too, maybe light grass? Taste is lemon, straw. Inoffensive.

3.6 Woody, nutty, malty with a very nice crisp finish. Hints of bitter hops come in at the end. Very nice.

2.4 Appearance: not quite transparent brown color, pours with a medium tan head that fades quickly Aroma: butter, dough, faint, cream Taste: darker roasted malt, not quite coffee but close, very faint hops taste and then bitterness on the finish Palate: lively carbonation, light mouthfeel, bitter aftertaste Overall: probably not a beer is pick out generally but not bad,

3.7 Sweetwater Motor Boat has a thin-to-medium, cream-colored head, a mostly clear, copper appearance, some bubbles, and moderate lacing left behind on the glass. The aroma is very citrus oriented (think grapefruit), with background sweetness. Taste is of grapefruit, hop oil, lots of bitterness, a touch of caramel, white bread, and white bread crust. Mouthfeel is light and watery, with a bit of slickness, and Sweetwater Motor Boat finishes semi-dry, refreshing, drinkable, and not like an ESB. Although it does not fit the claimed style, it is still very good. RJT

3.7 Toffee colored pour. Big off-white head. Plenty of lacing. Big hop aroma. Oranges and malt. Malty up front that quickly fades to a nice crisp hop flavor. Nice.

3.8 Draft at the ATL airport on layover. Nice copper color with an off-white head, and a pleasant toast and green hops aroma. Enjoyable balance between sweet and bitter with a medium body and a clean finish. Can’t pick a much better brew to kill time with in the airport.

3.5 Bottle. Clear dark amber, white head and some minimal lacing. Aroma is floral, citrus and pine. Taste is sharply bitter to start followed with a nice bready malt backbone. Nice crisp mouthfeel. Reminds me a bit of a rye IPA; solid brew.

3.2 EB: 11.10.13. Light brown, deep amber hue. White head, adequate. Root beer, sarsaparilla. Candy caramel, brown malt. Americanized ESB.

3.5 Solid low ABV offering from Sweetwater. Drank a half serving at lunch. Pours clear amber with light head. Scent is a touch of grain with a hint of citrus. Taste is mildly sweet with crisp bitter finish. Light-Medium body and somewhat flat. Would like to try this brew on cask. Draft - Brick Store Pub - Decatur, GA

3.4 Appearance: 1” fluffy cream colored head, recedes at a moderate rate with lots of lacing. Amber color with a cloudy appearance (probably hop sediment in suspension), significant carbonation bubbles streaming up. Aroma: Pine and citrus hops dominate the smell. There is some detectable malt as well in the background (a bit of earthy, bready odor). Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied, just slightly sticky, highly carbonated in the mouth (almost like drinking a cola), somewhat dry finish. Flavor: Fairly well balanced as the hops dominate from start to finish – pine, citrus, and floral, even a hint of English type earthy hops. The biscuit quality of the malt helps to even out the taste and there is some caramel sweetness also. Overall: Great job Sweetwater!

2.5 Bottle. Ok this is not a great ESB. Its a decent beer but it really sits on the fringe of the style if it sits within it at all. Look at the ABV alone. I think there is a slight north american skew in the rating system on this one.

3.3 Bottle. Pours murky light amber with a thick creamy head. Faint aroma - clean hops with a hint of spice. Very mild flavor - this is supposed to be a bitter? Smooth, clean, slightly sweet, flavor of hops, some grass and a hint of orange. Tiny bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. Sweetwater has decided to redefine ESB I guess.

3.7 The palate to Sweetwater Motor Boat Ale is everything I would expect in an American Pale Ale, but since it’s an ESB (extra special bitter), it’s not exactly what I want in the style. That’s not to say I’m all about conforming to style, far from it, but there’s something to be said for expectation. This beer is nothing like Wells Bombardier or Fuller’s ESB, and is more akin to any standard American Pale Ale. I received a 12oz bottle in a beer trade with Ding. I poured it into a nonic pint glass. Appearance: Hazy brown/burgundy hue. Forms a large, beige, frothy head which is slow to dissipate and leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. Smell: Light citrus notes, especially orange. A sweet candy scent and a hint of pine needles. Taste: Sharp bitterness right away with a light sweet orange candy flavor through the middle. The hops impart a significant bite and dry astringency throughout the second half of the swig. The aftertaste is a lingering bitterness but nothing intolerable. I’d definitely prefer a stronger, more balanced malt character, but the by-the-book hop profile is at least satisfying. Drinkability: This is a perfectly medium-bodied beer all around. A crispness to the body that’s not overly fizzy. It goes down smooth and is actually quite refreshing while in the mouth, though it is rather drying afterwards. Sweetwater Motor Boat Ale has a lot of flavor for 5.6% ABV and sits much lighter on my system than most beers of that potency. Ideal for dinner, but too strong to session.

3.3 Bottle. Murky amber orange pour with a smaller white head. Floral, citrus, and some cracker. Solid.

3.5 12 ounce bottle pours copper with a off-white head. Aromas of bread, malts and a bit of floral. Taste is the malts and a little bitterness from the hops.

4.0 12oz bottle poured into an imperial pint glass. Pours a dark orange with a small white head and lots of lacing. Huge aroma and taste of citrus and hops that is as strong as an IIPA. A little overwhelming on the citrus though. Finish is dry and bitter, as it should be. Palate is medium and creamy. Very nicely done.

3.6 Medium copper color. Nice malty presence in the background, mostly bread with a bit of crust. Some earthy hops there as well with a slight floral character. Flavor has a nice bitterness to back up the bread. Medium body and a bit chewy. Well done ESB.

3.5 Floral aroma with bitter front and end, sweet notes in the middle. Crisp amber. Good color. Good ESB.