Full Sail Amber Ale (USA)

Brewed by Full Sail Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Hood River, Oregon USA

Bottle. Pours deep copper with nice off-white head, some lacing. Aroma is slightly dusty herbal and grassy hops and caramel malt. Flavor is semi-sweet dark bread with very slight bitterness in the finish. Good malt backbone on this beer, but overall pretty ordinary.

I have come to the conclusion that those folks who emphasize the fact that beer accentuates the flavors of food have it ass backwards in most cases. Instead, I would suggest that it is the food which helps beers express their true characters. A good example would be this amber- while cooking a meal of garlic braised kale w/ red wine vinegar and smoked sausage w/herbs, I opened thus brew, and tasted an acidic ale w/ a soapy ending. Drunk with the meal, though, this beer changed character almost entirely, becoming a rich caramel brew well balanced by medium floral hops. The kale and sausage tasted like kale (garlic & vinegar w/vegetable sweetness) and sausage (smoky, more garlic, some sweetness, herbs). What a revelation!

Poured from tap a darker brown color with off-white head with aromas of grain and fizz (I had to get close to catch the scent). The taste started off with a bit of grainy caramel but turns into a somewhat burnt bitterness in the middle. It ends with a mild tartness. High carbonation gives it a spiciness on the tongue which made it go down with pizza nicely. Overall not bad, but not my favorite. It may have been harder to drink without the side of pizza.

pour is copper, small beige head, good lacing. smell is of hops, earthy, floral. taste is a little tart but no bitterness, malt, some hops, some caramel. overall an okay amber, just a little tin taste to it at the start.

Aroma has a light malt scent with a slight soapy like scent to it. Color is a deep brown amber with good carbonation and a thin head. Taste is malty and bitter. Starting with a medium body it goes down fizzy with a sweet lightly roasted malt flavor coming in, then a crisp bitterness and light hop flavor. After taste has an odd soapy taste to it a bit like the aroma. They clam it has a spicy, floral hop finish, but I think it comes across soapy rather then spicy. Still not a bad beer but not my pick for an Amber.

Just bought a sixer at the Brewery in Hood River, Oregon for $6.50 US. Cool place to visit nice little pub there also. One of the better Ambers by a U.S. brewer. Pours nice copper color with a 2 inch head. Good head retention and nice amount of lacings. Mild balanced flavor profile with a nice amount of lightly toasted malt. Hops are evident without being the dominant taste. Mild hop bitterness for the aftertaste. Good finish. A true session amber ale. There are better beers in this class but not for the price. Well recommended.

12 oz. bottle. Has a clear copper hue with a tan head. Caramel and spicy hop smell. Medium bodied with nice carbonation and a full mouthfeel. Taste is dark caramel sticky sweet . Finishes with a zesty spice hop tang. A solid, no nonsense Oregon craft brew

12 oz bottle from Total Wine. Pours a clear brown with a slight head. Light aroma of malt and a few notes of fruity citrus. Taste is all malt, with a hoppy finish that is floral and a touch of citrus bite to it. Not bad