Marin Albion Amber Ale

Brewed by Marin Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Larkspur, California USA

On tap. Clear orangey brown with an off-white head. Lightly sweet caramel in the nose. Medium body, sweet burned caramel and perhaps a whiff of nuts, but also a strange unclean edge of something that’s a bit off-putting. 110709

From tap at the brewpub. Pours clear and deep amber golden with a fully gone head. Roasted caramelish aroma. Mild caramelish and sweet fruity flavoured. Smooth to light bodied. Mild fruity and bitter hoppy finish, light bodied.

Name: Albion Amber
Date: July 11, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear dark amber, wispy beige head
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma, light earthyness
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, lots of earthy hops, long bitter finish
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Nice amberbody with an OK head. Aroma is sweet and moderately citrus hoppy. Flavor is nicely balanced between sweet malty (caramel) and a pleasant medium hoppiness. Finishes mildly bitter.

(Draught) Pours a deep amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of caramel, nuts, earth, and roastiness. Flavor of roasted malt, caramel, and hops (grass, earthy) with a bitter finish.

22oz bottle acquired in trade with DarkElf (thanks!). Poured a dark amber, almost brown color, with a huge (5.5 finger) off white head. Aromas of caramel, toasted malts, pine, and citrus. Tastes of citrus, roast, and very light caramel. Fizzy and somewhat thin body.

Murky, amber ale with a medium-sized, creamy, ivory-colored head. Great retention. Cascading lacework. The aroma is malty with notes of caramel, toffee and chocolate. Also some notes of brown tea. Malty flavor, as an amber ale should have. Blasts of caramel and toffee in every sip. Not-quite-balanced as the smooth, rich malts win their battle versus the hops. Not as well-hopped as most Left Coast beers. Those crazy Californians usually "hop up" the most malty of styles. Not this one. Medium-bodied with a watery mouthfeel and mild carbonation. Short, clean, grassy finish. MaltHeads will rejoice; hopheads will be disappointed. A real winner within its genre.

Fresh hoppy aroma. Some malt too. Hazy reddish amber color with a firm beige head. The flavor starts with malt, and a hint of sour - that Siletz aspect again. It’s a bit thin, but English ales tend that way. The finish is a bit of roasted malt, and the barest hint of hop bitter. But it doesn’t claim to be an ESB. Not the most enticing Marin product.