The Swill: Boont ESB (Extra Special Beer)
The Still: Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Boonville, California
http://www.avbc.com
The Drill: ESB, 12oz bottle, 6.8% ABV
The Spill: This bitter pours a light honey color with a generous ivory head. The nose is lightly hopped, along with an orangy-sweet maltiness. The taste is a two-parter: the malts come first, sweet up front with a slightly heavy mouthfeel. Then, the hops kick in, hitting the back of the tongue and cleaning the finish with a sharp and slightly sour punctuation. This award-winning beer tastes like a lot of good stuff is packed into it. Like carbs.
Says Bill: While their beers stand alone without the need for any kind of pomp and circumstance, the folks at Anderson Valley have still developed a fun little gimmick. They've printed a large series of quotes, puzzles, jokes and the like on the inside of their bottle caps, and if you collect 50 or more unique bottle caps, you're eligible for induction into AVBC's Hall of Foam.
Refill?: If the compulsive and competitive prospect of bottle cap collecting doesn't turn Dave's teetotaller girlfriend into a beer drinker, I don't know what will: 3 taps out of 5.