Oakshire Hindsight ESB

I'm finally getting around to composing this Friday's tasting notes. Most weeks, I write the notes as I drink the beer at my Kitchen Table, but this week I enjoyed a beer that is not (at least not yet) available to be enjoyed in Bottles. Instead, I went down to the new Cornucopia Bar and Burger (on Pearl Street just north of 5th) for their grand opening and a tasting of Oakshire's new ESB.

I enjoyed this beer immensely, and especially so as I got to pick the brain of the brewery manager, Jeff Alhouse, about its pedigree. The thing that makes this ESB stand out from the other Oakshire brews is the yeast, a Fuller’s English ale yeast that’s incredibly dry and neutral. That keeps the beer remarkably true to style.

But to the anthropomorphization, you shout! Or maybe you don’t, but that’s what I’m going to do next anyway. I had a good time working on this, as I was brainstorming and bouncing ideas around with my friend Anthony (who turned me on to this tasting event. Hopefully beginning next month, he and I will be doing one joint tasting each month, where we give each choose for each other a beer to taste ‘blind’. We’re still working out details on that. More to come.

The Oakshire Hindsight ESB came to life as an American fan of English Football. He follows Manchester United, but is roots for anyone to beat the US team when the world cup rolls around.

For footwear he wears, fitting a European Football fan, Adidas Samba. He’s worn the same brand of shoe since high school. He likes the simplicity of not having to decide, and they’re muted enough in black and white to go with just about anything. That’s important to this beer, as it’s all about balance. Its motto is “all things in moderation, including moderation.”

The beer’s favorite musical style is Ska, but its favorite album is Rubber Soul by the Beatles. It’s definitely working class, but has dreams and aspirations of ever more. So, the beer’s actual job is as something like a parts clerk, or a factory worker. But it’s dream job is an international secret agent.

Its ideal weather is a perfect day, high summer when the world is still decked out in Erin green, but after the rains have died down. It’s a 75-80 degree day with medium/low humidity, and a few fluffy white clouds somewhere just this side of the horizon.

Its car is a beat up late model Ford Taurus that was a hand-me-down from a friend who couldn’t sell it or give it away to anyone else. But in the garage it’s restoring an Austin Healey Sprite. The car will probably never run, but the part the beer enjoys is the hard work and the hours spent in the garage working while sipping, interestingly enough, an Oakshire Hindsight ESB. Which is funny, since it isn’t in bottles. But maybe the beer has a kegerator.

This beer is bright, crisp, and fun to be around. It’s very straightforward, with almost no esters, phenols, or other off flavors. It tastes like malt at first, and like bitter hops on the finish, and that’s all. Nothing hiding, no mixed messages, it’s a purist beer. And it’s excellent. But there’s some subtle unexpected notes. Something floral. Something bready. Something characteristically English (I thought there was some Maris Otter or something in there, but Mr. Althouse told me not so). Actually I was reminded of the Bluebird Bitter I had, which is pretty much the quintessential English Bitter.

Overall, this is an imminently drinkable beer. It doesn’t have many surprises in store, and if I had to identify a weakness I’d say that it’s a little one dimensional. But that’s not really a weakness, as simplicity seems to have been the idea. So I’d call it a successful brew.

Until next week, readers, if you have any suggestions for beers you’d like me to review, please leave a comment.

PS – sorry no pictures, I’m writing this on my lunch break at work and don’t have time or wherewithal to go on an image hunt. Maybe I’ll add them in later.