El Toro Poppy Jasper Amber Ale

Poured from bottle a hazy light caramel brown with a small off-white head. Aroma is malt, light roasted grain, molasses, sweet caramel and a mild fruitiness. Flavor is dry with powdery roasted grain, malt and a slight nuttiness. The aroma sells something sweeter that the flavor didn’t deliver. That kind of threw me off. The body is slightly watery but very drinkable and light. It would be easy to down a few of these. Overall a good food beer, but not all that memorable.

Slightly darker amber color. Aroma is earth, grain, grass, toast, bread. Medium to light bodied, quite drinkable and clean. Nicely put together, but nothing makes it stand out... but then again it’s an amber so whatever.

12-Mar-08 (12 oz bottle: Purchased 10-Feb-08 for $1.99 at City Beer in San Francisco, CA) This is a nicely balanced amber ale for fans of West Coast brews. The malt is caramely, toasty and lightly grainy, but only mildly sweet. Solid balance is provided by somewhat floral, moderately bitter hops. Even more impressive is the hoppy aroma, so fresh and aromatic, the beer smells dry-hopped, although the malty component is lacking the presence and character it has in the flavor. Medium-bodied from start to finish with a crisp, clean finish. Hazy, deep copper in color with half an inch of off-white head settling to a wide, bubbly ring. Some patchy lacing on the glass. A solid amber ale all around.

Bottle. Pours a ruby body with little head. A good amount of sharp floral hoppiness, some spicy citrus. Sweet malt is shadowed by the floral hops. Little etoh to be detected.