New Holland Sundog

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Holland, Michigan USA

Deep copper with a somewhat off aroma, perhaps it is Lake Michigan. Almost no head. Sweet, almost cola sweet with a flat finish. Despite being like no other beer I’ve tasted, it’s not that bad. Just wierd.

bottle. amber copper in color. slight hop flavor, some malt. not very complex. ok amber ale

Hazy copper with an annoyance of a head that would not relent. Aromas of musty honey and grainy malts with waves of dusty instant Jell-O®. Sour fruitiness is cherry and plum. Mediocre malted flavor, but a fizzy mouthfeel with a prickly/spicy finish holds onto some of the fruitiness we uncovered earlier.

<font size=-4>Single bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=1 cellar.<font size=-1>

Pours a medium-dark, clear brown color; white, creamy, half-inch-thick head. Aroma is malty with light caramel and a hint of butter (hopefully not diacetyl...?); lightly floral and fruity. Flavor pleasant and malty; slightly buttery like the smell; just a little toasty; some citrus, predominantly orange; light but blunt hop bitterness in the finish. Creamy yet clean texture. Superbly easy to drink; one of the better New Hollands I’ve had.

Pretty decent amber with a body the color of the style. It sports a tall, dense, chunky head, the kind that it’s fun to watch as it slowly collapses. The aroma is sweet, malty, and fruity with some floral hop scents. Medium bodied, it has a toasty malt flavor, sweet, with oranges and apples and a mild hop bitterness. Nice bitter/sour finish. Good session stuff.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Armanetti, Willowbrook, IL<font size=-1>

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with Sully, thanks Mike) Sundog Amber Ale is the color of a beautiful Southern California sunset at the beach, a gorgeous, rich orange-amber. The very cloudy body is topped by an inch-tall off-white head that settles to a thin layer within a few minutes and holds there. Unfortunately, it’s downhill from here. Tasting this medium bodied beer, I’m immediately struck by the gentle yet prominent sourness that seems citrusy sour rather than infected sour. Fruity, orange citrus, maybe some apricot too. With the sour fruits really taking charge, I’m not really getting much in the way of hops or malts though, just a modest grassiness. A slight dusty flavor lurks in the background, and impacts the mouthfeel as well. Like the flavor, the aroma is dominated by the sour fruits. A fair amount of lace sticks to the glass, but not indefinitely. Yeah, all in all, I’m not liking this too much.

Beware beer that is on sale, it might not have been stored properly. My latest batch of Sundog had some soapy and metallic tainting that never really went away, even after a month in the cellar at fifty degrees F. Beyond that, I like this ale, though it seems less hoppy than most ambers. The malt flavours I’ve had are very pleasant, sweet, easygoing, but not lacking in any depth. A very pleasant beer that goes great with most meals, rather than an after dinner sipping beer.

Poured a rusty amber from a 12 oz bottle resulting in an off-white head that didn’t last, but the lacing remained on the glass. I must be having problems with my nose, because I can’t smell anything yet I know it has an aroma because I can taste some of what should be smell. The flavor is of toasted malt initially, then some hop bitterness. Sharp carbonation and a rusty/metallic flavor at the end. The aftertaste is dry - it takes away all the slick texture in my mouth. I like this combination of malt and hops.