Mt. Shasta Abner Weed Amber Ale

Brewed by Mt. Shasta Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Weed, California USA

From the 12 oz bottle pours a dark murky brown color, a slight bit closer to amber if you really hold it up to the light, but still much darker than most. A small fast fading off-white head sits atop. This was a nice hoppy amber. Malts gave a bit of caramel and honey sweetness up front and were balanced out with a lightly fruity hop finish.

You know this is pretty damn good for something that I was expecting to be just another typical amber ale that I was picking up for the rating. Almost sugary flavor, quite sweet and malty, but yummy not cloying. Some rich toasted malts with some caramel and just a little hint of maple. I love the hop profile this brings to the table.

Aroma of caramel malts, toast, roasted nuts, and a little fruitiness. Pours a light amber with some chill haze and a thin head. Has initial flavors of caramel and toast, followed by a good deal of nuttiness. A little wood comes through as well as a nice hoppy finish. I could drink this all day. A very nice amber ale.

06-Aug-05 (Draft: Mt. Shasta Brewing Co. in Weed, CA) So there’s a clear brewing philosophy with this brewery, everything I’ve tried is sweet and caramely rather than malty, and hops have less of a presence than is typical for the style. The amber is also fairly sweet and caramely, but a modest toastiness and moderate hop bitterness help to break up the sweetness in the finish. The nose is malty with a light hoppiness. Medium amber in color, crystal clear in appearance, revealing the small, slowly-rising bubbles as they join the long-lasting light tan head. One of their two best beers. (7, 4, 6, 3, 13, total: 3.3)

23-Nov-05 (12 oz bottle: Mt. Shasta Brewing Co. in Weed, CA) Just a few additional thoughts now that I’m trying this at home rather than standing at the brewery going down their lineup. First off, yes, this beer is incredibly sweet and caramely for an amber ale, but this time, I really think it’s tasty. I’m getting a strong suggestion of oak aging and a hint of vanilla in this as well. It is seemingly higher in alcohol, and I had to check to see if it was getting close to 7%, but alas, it’s only 5.5%. Very caramely nose. The beer is full bodied, bordering on heavy and sticky, which is crazy for an amber ale, but then again, I’m not complaining. Dark ruddy amber color, but the light tan head is short lived, fully dissipating within a few minutes. Maybe if I tasted several beers that were sweet and caramely, I might get sick of it, but just drinking this single bottle, I’m really enjoying this beer.

A little smokey, quite malty aroma. This has a nice hop bite to this right away. A good malt as well. Great stuff.

Bottle: Dark caramel in color, moderate off-white foamy head, fairly nice lacing, no visible carbonation.   Sweet malty nose, fairly sweet actually, slight berry like fruitiness, and a smidgen of honey.   Hearty malt start, fairly sweet as predicted by the nose, a touch of earth, finishing with a fairly moderate caramel malt like sweetness.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.   Only thing I might change on this beer is tone down the sweetness a tad, otherwise its quite enjoyable.   Thanks Bill!

[Bottle - John’s market] A deep redish amber color with a nice thick head. This was a gooddrinking glass of beer. Rich malt flavor with a hint of hops this also had hints of frutiness and a deep toffee flavor. A great drinking beer.

On tap at Bailey’s Tap Room in Portland, OR--Poured a rich amber-brown body with a rich whitish head. Gritty, biscuit nose with some creamy notes. Mild citrus, bitter finish. Very delectable!