Far West Hedgerow Red Ale

Formerly brewed at Far West Brewing Co
Style: Amber Ale
Redmond, Washington USA

Dark amber color. Medium head. Aroma is malty and slightly sweet. A medium bodied red ale. Malts are slightly roasted, nutty and sweet. Hops are spicy. Dry hopping adds to the malt sweetness. Nicely balanced. Very drinkable beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Afterstaste is slightly bitter.

Bomber. Pours a deep, dark, clear amber with coppery/medium amber highlights around the narrow parts of the glass. Thick, tightly bubbled tan head with occasional clingy lace. Bready, caramely, anonymous malt nose. Moderate attack but more on the restrained side; medium body, light carb, bold flavors. There’s that caramel and bread again when you get to the mid-palate, but the hops are brilliant; dry, herbal, peppery--they really make this refreshing and different, with a lingering earthy finish. Like I didn’t miss these guys enough already, now it turns out they made a pretty killer amber, too. <sigh>

(22 oz bottle: $3.75 at Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) Based on the excellent aroma wafting from the glass, I’m really going to enjoy this beer. It’s malty and very toasty, quite nutty, and lightly sour. Can’t wait to take a sip. {takes a sip} Uh, not quite what I was expecting. Yes, it’s fairly nutty, but the strong toastiness I am getting in the aroma just isn’t carrying over to the flavor. It’s a bit roasty and earthy, but fairly dry, mildly sour, and only slightly toasty in the finish. Moderate bitterness lends nice balance, but I’m still wishing for that toastiness. Oh well, it’s still a good beer, but not outstanding, which is what I was expecting after that first whiff. Medium bodied with a fairly clean palate. Dark, ruddy amber in color, not quite fully clear. Light tan head pours to an average size, settles to a thin layer circled by a thick, bubbly ring, and leaves only a modest amount of small, patchy lace on the glass. A rather nice beer, but I don’t appreciate being teased like this by the aroma. Might best be described as a "nut red" or a light flavored nut brown.

The beer pours a limpid mahogany color with the head behemothic in size, spumescent in texture and the color a beauteous light tan with the lace forming a tight skirt around the glass. Nose has a light hint of the hops but malt sweetness dominates, a touch earthy also, quite crisp and clean with the start delightfully sweet, nice malt presence and the top fair to middling in its feel upon the palate. Finish is prickly in its acidity, the hops delectable in their spicy bite, quite dry aftertaste that lingers sweetly on the tongue, quite quaffable tis true, and a fine example of a Red Ale.

GABF 2003: Clear amber color, biscuit aroma, average body, light sweet ending.

Bottle: Reddish caramel, thick and cloudy, big frothy sand colored head, very nice lacing, looks great!   Sweet malty nose, seems like a touch of honey.   Smooth malt base, very slight hop bite up front that quickly dies down.   Finishes somewhat abrupt, doesn’t seem to carry the malt all the way through.   Lingering hop presense after the finish.   Moderate body and mouthfeel, wanting to be bigger.   Very pleasant and smooth drinking Amber.  

Dusty bottle found on the shelf at Pete’s of Bellevue, a year after the brewer went out of business. Actually it tastes pretty good - sort of pre-aged. Pours a clear mahogany with a scant but lacy white head. The aroma has caramel notes all through it, maybe a little molasses and plum. Smooth medium body, moderate carbonation. Plenty of caramel, and nuts in the flavor, along with a touch of vanilla, sort of drifting into chocolate territory. Crisp pine and grass finish.

Dark amber/brown color,small head that managed to stay around for a short time before fadin to nothingness.The aroma was roasty ,malty and maybe a faint spice with a hint of caramel.The taste was much the same with more pronounced malt and caramel slightly sweet and fruity hops.Not exactly a favorite but was well worth trying and the price was right.Well worth finding if you want a nicely flavored light feeling brew.