San Marcos Amber Ale

Brewed by San Marcos Brewery & Grill
Style: Amber Ale
San Marcos, California USA

(22 oz bottle, purchased at the brewery) I am continually impressed with this underrated and underappreciated brewpub. This is one of the most intensely toasty beers I’ve ever tasted or smelled, and it just jumps right out and grabs you. Malty, mildly sweet and mildly bitter, this beer is all about the toasty maltiness. A moderate roasty flavor comes out in the finish. The nose is so toasty, it’s starting to smell like freshly ground coffee. Medium in body, and somewhat dry, with a nice round mouthfeel. Dark amber in color. Off-white head is pretty tiny, quickly subsiding to a thin film and small rim around the glass, but a moderate amount of patchy lacing is left on the glass. From the bottle, this is an excellent amber, wonderfully delicious. Not sure about on tap.

Tasted at San Marcos. Clear reddish brown with fizzy white head. Aroma of caramel, yeast, and toast. Good roasty taste, bread, caramel and a slightly bitter finish.

On tap at the brewpub. A true amber pour with a foamy off white head. Hints of malt on the nose and much more hops than I would expect. A pretty malty brew with nice hints of bitter. A solid mouthfeel and pretty good carbonation. A lot of body for an amber ale and a decent hop bitter make this a fine amber ale.

@ SM Brewpub: Dark amber color with a small off-white head. Malty aroma with notes of toffee. More toffee in the flavor. Semi-dry with a bitter finish. their beers are straight foward so far (other than the diacetyl ones).

Draft at brewpub, early Dec ’05. Orange ambery pour with small head. Malty caramel aroma and flavor, some toffee, and slight citrus hop notes. Very little bitterness. Not bad.

On tap. Clear amber golden with an off-white head. Sweetish caramel in the nose. Medium body, nuts and burned caramel with a dry and hoppy finish. 070709

On tap at SM Brewery--Poured a stellar amber-chestnut body with a medium white head. Faint malty, traditional English/Scottish style appeal. Dry, crisp, earthy flavor. A little thin and bland in the finish.

From tap at the brewpub. Pours clear and golden orange with a small white head. Roasted and toffee aroma, hint of butter. Toffee caramel and roasted malt flavours with alight butterish note. Decent bitterness in the finish. Lasting toffee and butterish impression.