I remember that when taking my first baby-steps into beerville I always shied away from ESB's. "Bitter" sounded like the flagship style for everything I hadn't yet learned to appreciate about beer. Turns out, though, ESB's are one of the mildest, most drinkable ales you're likely to find - a long way from the "bitter" hop bite of so many American style ales at the time.
Left Hand's Sawtooth is a Colorado ESB that does the British standby style not just justice, but a few favors too. The Sparrow's had it on tap for several weeks, so I've had several opportunities to...evaluate. It's got all the pound-it-down mildness, but added character in the form of a citrus note (seems to be an "American touch") and some other complexities I enjoyed but couldn't quite pick out. That's the key to a great ESB - interesting, but nothing so interesting as to get in the way of smooth, thirst-quenching enjoyment. Yum.
For more on ESB's, check out this NYT article. They agree with my high opinion of Sawtooth, by the way.
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