James Page Iron Range Amber Lager

Brewed by Stevens Point Brewery
Style: Vienna
Stevens Point, Wisconsin USA

Bottle. Clear amber body with little head. This is definitely a malty beer, as the Vienna style was meant to be. The aroma is sweet with caramel, but there are significant notes of grain — and as it warmed, some hints of canned corn. The flavor is just as malty sweet as the aroma. The finish did present a very slight bitterness. Medium body and syrupy texture. This was more enjoyable colder than warmer, which tells me something.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a crystal clear light amber color with a medium size diminishing white head. The aroma was sweet caramel malts with some grass and citrus notes as well. The flavor is essentially all malts, sweet caramel, with artificial tasting vanilla present as well. Not much in the way of hops. Syrupy yet the mouthfeel is rather light. Drinkable, but nothing special.

Bottled. Poured clear lighter amber with a quickly-receding white head that left a thin film. Aroma was of artificially-sweetened toasty caramel with faint herbal accents.. very simple and cheap smelling. Flavor was a touch better with toasty caramel again and some mild leafy bitterness and light honey sweetness. Light-bodied and too sweet overall with a very dry back end and finish. This had no glaring flaws, but not much going for it either.

12 ounce bottle from the Woodmans on Gammon Road, Madison WI (December 2006), served out of the fridge into a Unibroue glass. The big fluffy off-white head is huge-bubbled and fades very quickly atop the very clear dark amber body....excessively sweet, honey’d syrupy peaches batter you in the nose with very faint citric acidic notes showing up to no avail..... the body is awfully, awfully sweet as well, loads of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla which might be fun in a barley wine, but here they are not supported by enough of a malt base and there is virtually no hop presence....slick and syrupy all the way through; I suspect this was better before Point took it over. In any case, I find it barely drinkable now.

Decent balance of malt and hop. Also picked up some astringency. Finish is too dry and lifeless. Although this is drinkable, it could be a lot better.

12 oz bottle purchased at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. Poured a clear orange color. Head was thick and off white with good retention and lacing. Smelled only of husky grains. There was some subtle sweetness on the tongue. Malt dominated flavor with oatmeal, husky grain, and a touch of caramel. Not bad, but nothing special.

Pours a medium clean amber and has a small quickly fading head. Aroma light malts, grains and traces of citrus. Flavor takes on a bigger malt tone. Also touches of caramel and bitter hops. Better than I thought it would be.

Pour is a orange with a white head. Aroma is a bit of grainy malt with no hops present. Flavor is a toasted biscut with some lingering hops. Nothing to go out and find and not really in the horrible catagory but it does have some promise of being a good beer.