Fort Collins Common Ground

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

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… Clear amber ale with an orange tint and a large, fluffy, off-white head. Good retention. The aroma tantalizes with caramel, toffee and medium-roast coffee beans - not grounds. Medium-bodied and lightly creamy with moderate carbonation. Sweet caramel and biscuit malts alongside coffee and very mild chocolate. Pleasantly sweet finish.

Coffee amber is not a normal style. Dark ruby amber orange with a sticky thick lacing off white head. Aroma is roasty but light amber sweetness, caramel. Taste is mild coffee, not roasty, but then thin malty caramel, apple fruitiness. It sorta works but not really.