Bell's - Amber Ale

Today is my wifes birthday!  I wanted to make sure it was a great one so I went out of my way and did a few special things for her that I normally wouldn't do.  I ordered some flowers to arrive for her at our house in the middle of the day, a bouquet of calla lilies which are her favorite.  I also made a reservation at a new Italian place called Parma thats only a short jaunt down the highway from our house.  It was amazing.  Highly recommended.

There were, of course, a few gifts involved as well.  One was the movie Tangled.  We went to go see it in theaters and she loved it so I thought it was an appropriate gift since it was just released yesterday.  Plus the horse in the movie is friggen hilarious.  I also got her a necklace of a bejeweled robot.  It sounded cooler then what it actually turned out to be.  I thought it was going to be this nice, petite necklace that she could wear it around and flaunt her nerdy side.  What it ended up being was giant piece of bling.  Think massive rapper necklace except not $57,000.  She decided it would work better as a key chain... I guess thats better than returning it!

So happy birthday to my wife and thank you to her for letting me write a review on her birthday!

Tonights brew is Bell's Amber.  I picked this up in another pick-a-six pack just last week.  According to Bell's website this is their flagship beer which surprised me.  Everywhere I go, at least in downtown Minneapolis, I see Bells Two Hearted.  In this area I think thats their flagship beer.  Everybody here knows Bells by their Two Hearted, not their Amber.  Maybe after this review I will think differently.

As I poured this into my pint glass I notice a big ol' load of sediment flowing throughout the beer.  Its not entirely surprising since this has happened with other Bells bottles Ive had.  Once I let it settle, we were ready to roll.  Brilliantly clear with a light amber hue.  An egg-white colored head persists in a thin layer after settling.  A sweet malt and toasty aroma are the first flavors I smell.  Some hops are present in the background.  The flavor follows through nicely from where the aroma left off.  A crisp and sweet/bready maltiness is accentuated by the carbonation.  Slight bitterness creates a clean finish.  No alcohol present from the 5.8% ABV.

Overall 4.0/6.0 - A good example of an American Amber.  Its the last example listed within the BJCP style guidelines which says something.  But for me, I wasnt all that impressed.  This is probably one thats much better on tap.  The sediment was a bit of a drag and prevented me from enjoying the entire pint.  The flavors were nice and the overall brew was easy to drink.  Once it warmed the flavors were much bolder.  If its on tap grab a few for yourself and your buddies.  If you see it in a six pack, maybe you should continue searching for another Amber.

Dark Horse - Amber Ale

Today I'll be drinking Dark Horse Brewing's Amber Ale.  According to their website, this beer is the "red headed step child" of their beer portfolio.  Why?  Because apparently, it's a ninja.  This Amber Ale is brewed with a yeast that is "almost" a belgian yeast strain.....a ninja-belgian yeast strain.  I'm not exactly sure what they mean by that, but certainly sounds like a twist on the traditional Amber style.

As usual, the label on this bottle is completely disheveled and looks like it was applied by a 2 yr old.  I'm not sure why Dark Horse is incapable of putting a label on a bottle straight, and without rips and tears all over it.  They need to fire the labeler, and hire me!  I'll work for beer.

The beer is a nice reddish brown color, hazy with sediment visible.  Not much head is present, and the little bit of lace that isn't sticky.  The aroma is very, very... belgian-funky.  Fruity, sour, yeasty nose with some peaches, cherries, and maybe even mangos in there.  The taste starts off with that big belgian yeast flavor - pears, cherries, and cloves come to mind.  Then comes a spray of lime.  The middle/end of the drink brings some light caramel malts.  The body is medium, with a smooth mouthfeel and light carbonation.

Overall Rating:  (4.5 out of 6.0)  This was an interesting brew - there wasn't much there to remind me that this was an Amber Ale.  But that didn't matter....the mix of belgian yeast flavors and light caramel malt worked really well together and made for an interesting experience that I enjoyed.  This is an Amber Ale....with a TWIST!

Rogue Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

Tonight I picked up a Rogue Ale - oddly enough, I don't think Steve or I have reviewed a Rogue brew yet.  I've tried many of Rogue's beers, and a strong majority of them have been fantastic, so I'm not sure what's taken us so long to get to this brewery!  After doing some research, I found that the Rogue franchise is quite expansive.  They have a brewery, a pub, a distillery, a restaurant in Portland Airport, a hop farm, a barley farm, and the list goes on.  They are like the McDonalds of the craft brewing world!  (that's a tough metaphor to draw when you've got breweries like Anhueser Busch out there....but... humor me).  Rogue also sports some cool label designs themed around skeletons. 

This brew is classified as an India Red Ale.  Here is a link to the beer-geek information.  The bottle shows a portrait of Captain Sig, a fishing boat, and a crab, all themed around that show on the Discovery Channel about crab fishing, Deadliest Catch.  On the bottle, it states "Dedicated to the Hansen Brothers - Sig, Edgar, and Norman - the Rogues of the Bering Sea.  Portions of the proceeds of Northwestern Ale will support the Fishermen's Fund."  I like that show - those guys are both insane and badass-tough.

I changed it up today and used my pilsner glass - big mistake.  The foam volcanoed out of the glass, and has created a plateau above the rim of the glass that is making it difficult to drink (see picture below).  After waiting for about 30 minutes, the foam finally subsided enough to get my nose in there for a smell - lots of sweet toasted malts in there, bread and biscuits, as well as some subtle plums...smells fantastic!  The color is a deep mahogany red, and totally clear.

The first sip brings those malts home - an awesome combination of chocolate, caramel malts that bring bready notes and some toffee sweetness.  There is also a great balancing bitterness, fresh pine, with a nice dry finish.  The texture is creamy smooth, and the carbonation is perfect.  There's a slight warmth at the end, but just barely noticeable, from the 6%ABV. 

Overall Rating:  (5.2 out of 6.0)  This was an enjoyable, extremely drinkable beer from Rogue.  It's essentially an amber ale that is generously hopped with the fresh American stuff (my favorite) - perfectly balanced and very unique.  I highly recommend this one.


Pilsner glass + Red Ale = .......this