Fort Collins Common Ground

Brewed by Fort Collins Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

22 oz. Clear copper with a lasting film of cream. Aroma is bitter cocoa, coffee and light toffee. Flavor is bitter cocoa, earthy ground peanut, caramel and coffee. Finish has some light sour berry and wood. Light-medium body is watery and roasty-dry. Wow kind of a copper porter. Interesting.

Not much coffee in the aroma, but oh wow is there a lot right up front. The coffee flavor fades towards the end, making it a somewhat light coffee beer, which would be expected with the amber label. Pretty good stuff.

Bomber from Sam’s, Durham. Nice enough pour, a dark, oily-looking amber with an average amount of carbonation, thinnish head. The nose is faintly redolent of strong tea rather than coffee, though some malts and faint roast are detectable. Bold, my ass. Weak and watery body, and a very washed-out flavor. Honestly, I found it almost as difficult to finish this beer as it is to find any noteworthy characteristics in what is basically a bland amber ale with just enough coffee infusion to disappoint.

Pours a clear, pretty, appetizing amber with a fairly thick, if not too persistent, white head. Aroma has a strong coffee overtone, very unlike what I expect from an amber ale! There are some malty and even fruity hints as well. Flavor is rather like weak iced coffee with some malt flavor and a touch of fruit, mainly apple. Texture is smooth and just a little fizzy. Overall, not too shabby and worth trying if you are into unusual beers.

Bottle. An unusal beer. The coffee aroma and flavor is prominent but not over powering. Was actually balanced well. Color was a pleasant brown color but not black like one might expect with a coffee beer. Quite impressed. Would recommend.

Coffee flavor in an amber, as opposed to a stout/porter is an odd variation on the theme... It’s coppery amber, not black or brown, as I expected. Definate whiff of coffee, with a subtle background note of caramel or toffee. Coffee and caramel in the flavor, and a touch of hop bitterness. Odd, but likeable.

Date: October 24, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Hop City, Atlanta
Appearance: clear copper, creamy off white head, scattered drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma with a balancing coffee character
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, caramel sweetness, touch of breadyness, balancing coffee, light roasted
Overall: interesting combination of caramel and coffee, a nice change from the coffee stouts
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Bottle. Pours clear amber with an average, creamy off-white head, somewhat lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, cereal, coffee), light hop (herbs), average yeast (dough, earth) with notes of plum and brown sugar. Medium bodied, slick texture, average carbonation, and a chalky finish. Average duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and bitterness.