Manchester John Thomas Red

Brewed by Manchester Brewing
Style: Amber Ale
Concord, New Hampshire USA

22oz bottle-pours a light tan ring for a head and hazy copper color. Aroma is medium malt-caramel/peat, some citrus/earthy hops. Taste is medium malt-caramel/peat, some citrus/earthy hops. As it warms, dark fruit-raisin. OK carbonation. Towards a BW.

Tight bubbled, but modest head--lasting. Brown color and cloudy. Light shines through. Surprisingly, there is little lace. Malty and slightly sweet. Strong crystal smell. Mild alcohol warmth in the background. Interesting blend of bittering hop and a low-level sweetness. Reminds me of an over-hopped barley wine--definite alcohol warmth in the swallow and aftertaste. Rich body with an appropriate level of carbonation for the style. High marks for the originality and the complexity. This is one of the more complicated Amber’s I’ve had.

Cold 22oz bottle: Pours a cloudy medium copper color with a thin, alabaster head that quickly dissolves. Aroma is of nice yeast and malts with notes of tangy hops. Taste is of light grains well blended with tangy hops. Medium bodied and crisp, with ample carbonation. Ending is of tangy hops with citrus notes.

Bomber: Pours a cloudy dark reddish-orange color with a thin white head, light grains in the aroma, light-medium bodied, starts and ends lightly bitter, ample carbonation, pleasant grainy aftertaste.

22 oz bottle. Dark amber pour with a 1/2" creamy beige head. Aroma is dark malt, chocolate with a hint of hop. Palate is chewy with a slight astringent bitterness.Flavor is dark chocolate, brown sugar, malt with grassy hops. The hops don’t really come out until the brew has warmed a bit. There’s almost a barlywine taste to it.

A gift from my NH friends. Deep amber pour with a thick sticky white head. The nose is fairly toasty and sweet with a bit of chewy malt sweetness. Light resiny sweetness with a kiss of orange peel and a light kiss of spiciness. A bit of chewy lingering resiny bitterness. It’s a decent amber ale.

22oz bomber from McKinnon’s in Salem, NH. Pours a murky nearly opaque reddish-brown (mostly brown) body with nearly an inch of short-lived light tan head. A dry roasty chocolate initially presents in the aroma with bits of a sweet maltiness and a hint of grassy hops. Sweet maltiness and a roasty dark chocolate equally share parts of the flavor, with the taste of leafy grassy hops adding a slight astringency toward the finish. Medium in both body and carbonation. Drinkable enough, but doesn’t disappear as quickly as some in the style might. Not a bad American red, though it definitely hints at a brown ale. Robust but balanced. A solid brew from a solid local brewery.

Large bottle. Another good option that doesn’t break the bank like some of the other beers I’ve been drinking lately. Nothing spectacular but a very drinkable and well made beer.