The Boont ESB may be an ESB ("extra special bitter") by name, but it's a totally Californian one at that. Meaning, for its category, it's big, a little bit brash, and has way too much personality to be any kind of well behaved ESB. For example, the brewing process involves "four separate additions of Pacific Northwest hops" which gives it a very strong hop character (most beers have one or maybe two occasions when hops are added). In terms of alcohol content, at 6.8% ABV, it's pushing it towards the high end of what's already an amplified version of the English Bitter. No matter. It's tasty, and it's got an undeniably Californian character that you just have to go with. And what's not to love about giant coastlines, big sky, and abundant greenness, Death Valley, hippies, Hollywood, Lakers, Silicon Valley, facebook, ebay (oh, wait...)? Anyway... in the case of beer, excess is fine by One Woman, as long as it works. But what makes the Boont ESB extra special is the little hint of spiciness in the hops that lingers on the tongue after the initial sweetness of the higher alcohol content and the bitterness of the hops passes.
Food - Some kind of weird, gourmet junk food, like tri-color popcorn tossed with Anderson Creamery pepperjack would probably be a very good combo for this one.
Musical pairing: Fats Waller, "Honey Suckle Rose." Famous for his stride piano playing and his large-than life stage persona (and appetite), Fats Waller's performances are big, bold, promises tons of sweetness, but with an intensity behind power. And then there are the lyrics - "don't buy sugar / you just have to touch my cup" - uh, sure... The old piano in my house always makes me think of him. Check out this other solo piano version for an almost schizophrenic, manic version of the same piece. Excessive, but ends as if nothing ever happened. Manic.
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