Gila Monster Amber Lager

Brewed by August Schell Brewing Company
Style: American Dark Lager
New Ulm, Minnesota USA

Sampled at maniac’s. Poursa clear pale amber with wispy thin tan head. Not bad on the aroma, kinda sweet malty caramel with a hint of corn in the background. Flavor is caramel malt, but light and grainy. Not all that great. Name is the best thing about this beer.

12 ounce bottle from Trader Joe’s. Pours a copper color with a small short lived head. Not much lacing. Aroma is very light, some hops and toffee. Taste is some pine hops with citrus notes and caramel malts. Finish is long and pleasantly dry. On the whole, there is not much to write about but dissent brew nevertheless.

Bottle. Aroma is faint, a bit mettalic. Dark amber with a wispy thin off-white head that leaves spotty lacing. Flavor is toasty malt, nice roast character with little to no hops flavor. Active carbonation, light body.

12 ounce bottle from Trader Joe’s in Short Pump, VA. Pours a clear copper color with a medium head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma is grainy toffee with a bit of nuttiness. Taste is caramel, toffee, bread and a nutty finish. No real hop notes to speak of. Medium bodied. Decent beer.

A drinkable lager that is relatively non-descript. Light copper in color, the aroma is predominately caramel malt reminiscent of Dos Equis. The flavor is more caramel with a slight hop finish. Full-bodied and crisp, Gila Monster fits into the Oktoberfest/Vienna category well. Pleasant and subtle, this is a beer that is satisfying, but not very special.

Date: March 14, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Ticker Tasting
Appearance: hazy amber, wispy off white head, bits of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel aroma, light earthyness
Flavor: light caramel malt flavor, touch of sweetness, lots of balancing bitterness
Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 9/20
Rating: 2.5/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark amber body with a full inch of snow white foam. Smell: Exceedingly meager aroma of toasted malts and little else. Taste: Sweet toasted malts -- all of it very light, mind you. Fruity addition of apple skins. Touch of hop character and bitterness. Drying, crisp, but ultimately watery finish. Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium-plus, slightly effervescent carbonation. Drinkability: This one just comes up far, far too short in flavor and body, going well beyond easy-drinking and refreshing to be wholly uninteresting. Skip it.

This is a beer slected at Trader Joe’s. They have beer from brewer’s that you never see. This is an Amber Lager. The color was a clear amber with a nice head and no lacing. The caramel malts do dominate the flavors that you experience. It could use more hops. The finish was smooth and with some bitterness.