Blue Ridge (MD) Amber Lager

Brewed by Wild Goose LLC (Flying Dog)
Style: Vienna
Frederick, Maryland USA

I bought a bottle of this to try. Poured a lighter than expected amber color, unimpressive head. Strong nutty/caramel aroma. I found this beer to be almost undrinkable due to the cloying sweetness. I’d heard the new owners were tweaking the old recipes, and I had hopes this would be better. I will not be buying any more of it.

From the bottle. Pours a deep brown/amber color. Off white head with lots of coating. Smells sweet, almost woodsy. Taste is surprisingly moderate when compared to the smell. Hints of caramel are present, but nothing dominates the tatse. The aftertaste, however, is sticky and warm with alcohol. Not a bad brew, not as easy to drink as Blue Ridge Golden Ale, but probably better as a colder season beer.

Huh? Was I drinking the wrong beer. This tastes so similar to three of their other beers that I can’t tell where it ends and the others begin.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained 28-Jan-06 in trade with hopscotch, thanks Eric!) The last time I drank one of these bad boys was ten years ago today. Totally a coincidence, but cool anyway. This is one of those sweet and caramely amber lagers, but it’s not overboard, not annoyingly and cloyingly sweet. Little else here, very little in the way of hops or bitterness. Grainy, caramely nose seems less sweet than the flavor. Medium bodied, but though somewhat sweet, it’s still relatively clean on the palate. Golden amber color is fairly clear, but the off-white head is very small on the pour and soon dissipates into oblivion. Nothing too special here, but this amber lager is certainly pleasant enough.

Bottle-Pours a nice reddish amber color w/a big, foamy, off white head. Roasted, nutty, hopped aroma. Sweet, malty taste, Long, spicy, fruity, craemy finish w/some carbination. Medium boby. Very enjoyable.

12z bottle. From what I can read, the beer was bottled 12 4 96. The print is smudged and sloppy, but that’s what it looks like. But logically, this beer cannot be nine years old, can it? Anyway, pours a clear, ruby, garnet hue. A ring of white head remains. Strong raisin and port nose. Yeasty and pruny. Slight woody aroma. Seems medium bodied, with a nice mouthfeel. Smooth and crisp, with a nice caramel malt note, followed by a dry, resinous hop note. Tastes grainy and nutty. Somewhat smoky. Cloying sugar. Finish is pine, citrus, some fruit and a delightful sourness. I have not had too much experience with Viennas, but I can only assume that it is an early version of an Oktoberfest. In that case, much drier and sugary. I think that it tastes quite good. Smooth, sweet and finishes strong.

This pours a handsome, orange/amber body with medium carbonation. Alas, the frothy white head doesn’t bother to loiter. This has a large, rich malt aroma, fresh bread with some nuts in it. Nice creamy body filled with caramel, toffee, an orange slice, almonds, and a short hit of herbal hop bitterness in the finish. Good Vienna.

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Rye flavor. Hop flavor. Red color. Kind of like sucking on a wet piece of six day old rye bread. Notes include: "This is a holy terrible F*ck of a beer!" I think that sums up my position quite nicely.