As if the name isn't enough, the 473mL cans of Equilibrium Extra-Special
Bitter feature a teetering elephant and the slogan "balanced
brilliance". I think they're suggesting the beer is balanced.
The
"they" I'm referring to is Burlington, Ontario's Nickel Brook Brewing Co., the outfit responsible for this 5.5%, 43 IBU ESB. Equilibrium pours
a comfortable toffee colour under a layer of sudsy off-white head.
Pretty murky stuff, too.
My nose was met with a
classically English-style pub ale aroma; a blend of caramel and copper,
with a malty spine. The flavour, believe it or not, does exhibit a nice
degree of balance (though I think that, semantically, balance doesn't
have degrees--it's an all or nothing proposition). Malty, sweet notes of
caramel and raisin are set off against bitter ones, while a tinkling
metallic undercurrent keeps pace.
I haven't had
a really nice ESB for some time. For one thing, I think of them as a
fall brew, and it was decidedly July when I tasted Equilibrium. But
also, I just haven't found any that have tickled my fancy outside of the
traditional English ones. However, in Equilibrium, Nickel Brook has put
together a charming ESB--one that contains a hearty hops bill to lend
it something different.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
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