Friday Beer Review - The Wise ESB

Brewery Name: Elysian Brewing Company
Location: Seattle, WA
Name of Brew: The Wise
Style of Brew: ESB
ABV: 5.9%

This week I decided to go with a local Seattle brew. The Elysian brews several good beers and I recently enjoyed some of the brews while drowning my sorrows about the WSU Cougars getting fucking manhandled by the University of Hawaii. That’s really here nor there, it’s just time to give them a little credit for helping me with the time traveling (black out) I did later that night.

The Wise ESB pours a coppery color with hints of red and about an inch of cream colored head that leaves a lot of lacing as you work your way through the pint. The Wise has that great smell of malt with just a hint of hops at the end. The Wise has a light and dry mouth feel with hints of citrus that quickly moves over to a hoppy flavor. It’s got that nice hops bite at the end almost like an IPA. The Elysian describes The Wise with the following:

A malty, hoppy, reddish-copper colored ale brewed with an award winning blend of five malts and three hop varieties.

I don’t generally drink ESBs but this Elysian brew could almost change me over. Redhook’s ESB is the overwhelming favorite here in the Seattle area but I think The Wise has got it beat hands down. The Redhook ESB drinks heavy while the 5.9% Elysian ESB goes down surprising light. I could definitely put down enough of these 22 ounce bottles to get me in trouble without feeling like I’ve got a full, bloated stomach. If you’re a fan of ESBs or you’re just looking for something to mix it up I would definitely recommend trying The Wise ESB.

Product Page: Elysian Brewery