Eel River Certified Organic Amber Ale

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Fortuna, California USA

Sweet sugary aroma. Flavor is pretty sweet, not too malty. Overall a pretty decent brew, just un-inspired.

Polished amber and mahogany shimmers in my glass while a small, copper-hued head fades quickly into nothingness. No amount of encouragement can bring her back to life, and lace is nowhere to be seen. Her nose is lemon, candied sugar, and a bitter artificial sweetener tang that leaves an unpleasant singe in the back of my nose. Canned black cherries give her a sweet, sugared fruity palate which leads most unfortunately into her body. As I take my first quaff, root beer esters hit my nose as my tongue is smothered in artificially sweeteners, sugars, and black cherry syrup without the cherries. Waxy lemon skin dries the top of my tongue, leading into a seltzeresque, mineral finish. I am not at all impressed by the Eel River Certified Organic Amber Ale, and a few further quaffs produce more of the same unpleasant artificial sweetness with a bitter, mineral finish. I am unfortunately unable to finish my glass, and so she flows unceremoniously down the kitchen sink drain.

I had optimistic hopes for this beer, especially since it came at the recommendation of a good friend. Unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations and its potential. Next, please.

Pours deep copper with thin tan head. The modest aroma is sweet with malts, caramel and a dash of dark fruitiness to go along with a hint of roasted malts. The taste is aged malts, some roast, caramel and a thin layer of citrus hops. It ends with a pleasing combination of sweet malts and some roast.

Cloudy amber, low head, some lacing. Sour, low aroma. Fizzy with some fruitiness, mostly apple and strawberry. Not much flavor with a sour aftertaste. Forgettable.

This poured a light orange color with a normal sized white head. Aroma was pretty bland not much to say but a little hint of slighlty sweet roasted malts with hints of bittering hops as well . Flavor was also fairly bland, not watery but just bland, a decent balance of malt and hops, but nothing special here at all.

Bottle from total wine. Amber pour. Small white head. Caramel malt, honey wheat bread and some hops. Sweet malty flavor with some hops. Boring.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, dark brownish-amber body with a fine, beige-hued head. Smell: Fairly weak nose with only minor notes of dusty, grainy pale malts, fruit, and... that’s about it. Taste: Grainy, simple pale maltiness with just a mere hint of caramel sweetness. Indistinct touch of fruit. Not really much in the way of hop flavor or bitterness beyond and a faint touch of herbal, tea-like bitterness that holds you over until the abrupt, weak finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A remarkably dull and altogether bland brew. If getting the organic "gold star" means a pint full of yawns, then bring on the pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers!

Name: Amber
Date: May 23, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ticker Tasting
Appearance: clear amber, fine off white head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: dry caramel malt aroma, light breadyness, lots of earthy hops
Flavor: lightly sweet malt flavor, lots of earthyness, light bitterness, long bitter finish
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 8/20
Rating: 2.4/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4