Celtika Ambrée

from le Village à Bière, Strasbourg - hmmm, great! this stupid beer is foaming like hell, leaving just about 1 dl left for drinking; pours a hazy unclean amber-red colour without foam; aroma of chestnut, slightly woody; medium-bodied and sweet; slightly sour before a chestnutty finish - not bad

A small (330ml?) bottle with a crown cap, part of gift pack I got for Xmas from my brother. This one has an ABV of 6.5%. Slightly hazy, deep copper, with a thin mottled head which lasts fairly well. Nice toffee’d, malty nose. Good body, has a sweet edge which lingers on the finish. The 6.5% is quite noticable but doesn’t make it less drinkable. Nice strong ale, one to savour.

750ml bottle. Pours a cloudy amber color with a two finger head. Smell of toffee, with spiced light fruit, cinnamon and honey. Flavor is a dry assertive Belgian Pale with a lingering sugar candy sweetness. Medium bodied, slightly creamy, with a light but persistent carbonation.

A good taste very fruity a bit too much bitter for me but a good beer

bottle. Cloudy amber colour, large and persistent head. Fruity and slightly sour aroma. Yeasty with an intensive fruity sourness, slightly malty and quite hoppy in the lingering finish.

Blew the damn cork off of the bottle. Good head with light carbonation. Head reforms nicely upon swirling. Soft peaches and cream aroma with some apricots. Light crisp flavor. Some soft malts and more apricots. Dry palate with a nice hops presence. An interesting brew from france. The aroma is very good but the rest of the brew falls short.

06-Mar-07 (750 ml corked and caged bottle, Best Before 01-Feb-07: Obtained 09-Jun-06 in trade with Otter, thanks Jeremy!) Without thinking, I open the bottle at my desk, computer keyboard and important paperwork nearby. The cork pops with the power of sparkling wine, making me suddenly fearful of a sticky mess, but somehow the beer stays meekly confined in its container. Pouring the beer into my Duvel glass is quite another story. Despite a very careful attempt to not generate a huge head, the bubbles leap up, almost reaching the rim before I could get more than four or five ounces of beer in the glass. While I’m waiting, the nose is extremely fruity and sweet, the red apple aroma like a ripe Macintosh. But it also smells very musty, and in the background, somewhat toasty. After several minutes, the bubbly, light-tan head settles to a quarter inch (without leaving any lacing), and thus the beer is now kindly permitting me to finally take a sip. It’s very fruity and sweet, again that ripe red apple flavor jumping out at me. But right along side is the sweet, somewhat caramely, vaguely toasty malt, at least in the midpalate. The fruitiness returns to dominance late in the finish. Very light bitterness doesn’t interfere with the fruity and malty flavor, though this would be a better balanced and possibly more enjoyable beer with a touch of hops. The beer is medium in body, but seems heavier because of the sweetness. Carbonation is surprisingly moderate after the initial demonstration. The overall mouthfeel is a soft and smooth, but a bit on the sugary side, bordering on cloying. I found this beer interesting and somewhat enjoyable initially, but an entire 750 is tough to drink. It’s just too sweet and fruity with nothing to balance the beer out.

Name: Celtika Amber
Date: 08/16/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy amber, thin beige head, touch of lace, light malt aroma, creamy body, nice tart cherry flavor, light spicey character in the finish,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.1/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *4