Rubicon ESB

Little background on the beer type: ESB's are in the family of Pale Ales ('Bitters' in England). ESB is the big brother of the IPA and ESB stands for Extra Strong Bitter. The 'Strong' does not refer to the degree of hops, but rather the alcohol strength, which is anything greater than 4.8%.

Complimented by a foam mustache, the first taste of the Sacramento based Rubicon ESB made an impression. It was crisp and distinctive, and the hops were subtle, sleuthing. The Rubicon's sharpness derives from its carbonation. Check out the foamy head in the picture, I find the next part interesting:

Foam Mustache Ride Anyone?

So I tasted just after opening but stepped away to play a video...read a book, and some time later I reached for my beer. The taste changed, becoming flat and bitter. It was bad but was simply different. See, opening the bottle allowed oxygenation to occur and as time passed, the carbonation dissipated and the hops were replaced by the real backbone of an ESB, a bitter. Like Kesier Soze, the greatest trick the hops ever pulled was convincing the tongue it did exist. And like that (poof), it was gone.

It's an interesting beer and I wouldn't mind drinking at least once before ARMAGEDDON.

p.s. I'm not a total geek, so I can only hope the science above is correct and if it's not, correct me in the comments, I'd love to learn.