From Charlotte’s Blue Blaze Brewing Company, Amber Blaze is an American Amber Ale. It’s malty, as you’d expect. Some honey and toast in the nose. The middle is bready, and there’s a bit of lemon in the finish. The body is medium and the alcohol is a moderate 5.6% ABV. It’s a perfectly nice beer, but unremarkable.
I give it a 3.2 out of 5.
Grainiac is another experiment from Stone’s Stochasticity Project line, and this time it’s a hopped-up malt bomb. The head is massive and silky and hangs around like you would expect from a root beer float. The nose has toast and granola and just a hint of lemon. The middle is full of sweet grain, and bitter hops. There’s sweet orange notes bitter pine, and a strong whole-wheat breadiness. More like dough than baked bread in flavor. The finish is sugary with a tiny herbal bitter bite right at the very end. The body is medium to heavy, and the alcohol is a fairly stout 8.5% ABV. The grains in this beer (barley, wheat, rye, triticale, millet and buckwheat) make it interesting, but Stone makes it special.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Oregon is known as a bustling hub of craft brewing, and tonight’s review is from Hood River in that fine state. Full Sail Brewing Company’s Amber Ale is a relatively ancient brew in the craft beer world, having been introduced in 1989 as the first Amber Ale in all of Oregon, and they’ve been brewing and bottling it ever since. Over the years it has one 14 gold medals and for good reason. It’s malty, slightly sweet, and quite delicious. The nose is grassy and has a lot of toasted grain. The middle is sweet with some sugary orange citrus, caramel, and some slight chocolaty undertones. The finish is a bit spicy with cinnamon and pepper and slightly metallic. The body is medium weight and the alcohol level is a moderate 6.0% ABV. All around a very nice ale.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Pinstripe is a Red Ale from Ska Brewing of Durango, Colorado. The coloration is a medium copper and the nose is toasty. There’s very little bitterness here, and in the middle I get caramel and quite a bit of fruit in the form of peach and apricot. The finish is grainy and slightly metallic with just a little lemon. There’s not anything particular special about this beer, but it is a great example of the style and would be a wonderful post-lawn mowing beer.
I give it a 3.7 out of 5.
Flipside Red IPA is a new seasonal super hoppy west-coast style IPA from the folks at Sierra Nevada in Chico, California. It’s deep dark red in color, and the nose is floral and grassy, with a bit of honeysuckle. The middle has lemon, grapefruit, and a bit of pine, and the pine gets stronger and stronger through the finish. It’s mid-weight in body, and comes in at 6.2% ABV for a nice dose of alcohol but not too much. If you like the bitter, hoppy west-coast IPAs as I do, this is a great beer.
I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Rare Vos is a Belgian Amber Ale from Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY. This beer pours with a massive head that has a texture reminiscent of the foam you get with a root beer float. The nose is fruity, with cherries and bananas. The middle is fruity and spicy, with cherries, plums, and pepper. The finish has a bit of orange rind, sweet pears, and coriander. It’s a medium weight beer, delicious and well balanced. The flavors are well defined, but not so powerful that you get tired of them, making this an excellent everyday drink.
I give it a 4.6 out of 5.
Possibly one of the most well known craft beers in all of the United States is New Belgium’s Fat Tire Amber Ale. It’s been available in bottles for many years, but its recently been released in cans as well, and this new format has finally induced me to produce a long overdue review. This may be the first craft beer I ever tried, (certainly one of the first) so I have a bit of a sentimental attachment to this beer. The nose is toasty and not particularly strong. The middle has some thin roasty malt, and some spice from the hops, and is a bit watery, to be perfectly honest. The body is light, and the finish is similar to the middle, but the spice comes to the forefront. Overall it’s a reasonable beer, clearly popular with the masses, and a decent standby when there’s not a lot of choice.
I give it a 3 out of 5.
OpenCraftBeer 