Campers with Class

This weekend my boyfriend and I went on a camping trip to the Wichita Mountains. We had settled at the campgrounds and were sitting by our campfire when a camping cohort embarked upon our territory, asking to borrow a corkscrew. Although there were signs clearly posted indicating the consumption of alcohol was prohibited on the campgrounds, we did, indeed, have one to lend. "I'll trade you an ESB," the camper offered. I was quite taken aback by this statement. Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to the typical Oklahoma camper, but I dare say that most wouldn't have known what this guy was offering. It seemed presumptuous of him to believe we knew what an ESB was. I mean that in an endearing manner.

For those that aren't familiar with an ESB, here's a description taken from beeradvocate.com:
Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB)
ESBs are essentially more aggressive and more balanced Bitters, both in alcohol and hop character, but nothing overpowering. Color range will be similar, though leaning towards the darker end of the scale; dark golds to copper. Low carbonation. Malts tend to be more pronounced, often toasty and fruity, with maybe some notes diacetyl. And despite "bitter" being in its name, ESBs are not really all that bitter. They key to an ESB is balance.

The beer this guy had to offer was a Sierra Nevada ESB, a newly released spring seasonal beer by the California craft brewery. It's the breweries variation of the ESB style, labeled as an Early Spring Beer. Ken Grossman, owner of Sierra Nevada brewery explains, "Our ESB blends the best of English tradition with the boldness of West Coast style. Featuring English ingredients, we added a Sierra Nevada twist by leaving the ale unfiltered, which enhances mouthfeel and hop aroma creating a slightly reddish-copper hue."

I found the beer to be very tasty, not to mention a vast improvement over the lukewarm Rolling Rock we had brought along. It was the first time I had seen this beer, and McNellies doesn't carry it quite yet. If I had to venture a guess, I would assume we will have it sometime in the near future. .