Breckenridge Avalanche Amber

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Burnt orange with a small white head. Aroma is dry and somewhat malty. Some malt, but too watery. No hops at all. Sweet and really smooth due to its watery body. I can detect a slight hint of advertised caramel, but slight might be an overstatement. Not offensive, but no real taste.

I’m a Colorado native, which means I hear more about Breckenridge ski resort than I see. What I do know about it is limited to an understanding of commercial and service sector booms and how these luxury ski areas in the mountains are exploding with wealth and over-priced amenities. One ramification of that is a brewery, though probably one of those more interested in bringing in people to see their vats than drink out of them. Though actually brewed in Denver, the Breckenridge Avalanche Amber Ale is an unexciting export lacking the convivial flavor its putative source might suggest. It’s a mildly refreshing beer, sort of nutty and sort of salty, and entirely undrinkable outside of a sports bar. I was watching the Colorado Avalanche hockey team while drinking Avalanche, but even there the whole affair didn’t seem to work out. The action of the stadium was simply too intense for what flavor there was, while a formal sit-down tasting will probe too deeply for flavor that isn’t there. It is definitely not my favorite beer, but the Avalanche rates above some other skunkier ambers I’ve had, and definitely higher than most pilseners. At least it’s a nice healthy color, red and woody, like so many of the opulent lodges up in the mountains.

Tasted 9/28. Draft. Clinging off-white head. Deep amber hue. Light malty nose. Also citrus. Light roast flavor, with fruit notes. Slight sweetness from the malts. Mild hop finish with a caramel, sticky sweetness.

Bottle. Light to medium amber color with a white head, fairly long lasting. Milder aroma of malt, caramelly. Flavor is pretty bland, same flavors, just lighter, empty. Light to medium bodied. Not good.

09.30.05 Tap at brewpub. Hazed amber with lasting, medium white head. Thin, watery palate. Grainy, hopless, and boring. Only the slightest hint of caramel grains. Pretty unoffensive.

Intense amber coloration with little head retention. Weak aroma is mostly sweet malt, but limited. Prickly mouthfeel. Body is loose, watery in the middle and dry and fruity in the finish. Some moderate caramel malt usage throughout, which keeps things sweet. An average drinker that would appeal to the masses.

on tap-pours a thin white head, color is a clear light amber. Aroma is grain with a taste of mild grain. Nice, middle of class beer.

Mildish, fairly hoppy. Good balance. Also at the shanty/tavern in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Good punch with this beer whilst in the table conversation, though maybe not for multi rounds.