San Marcos Honey Ale

Brewed by San Marcos Brewery & Grill
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
San Marcos, California USA

On tap. Clear deep golden with an off-white head. Sweetish aroma of malt and honey. Medium body, sweet malty. Finishes dry with a whiff of sulphur. 070709

From tap at the brewpub. Pours clear and golden orange with a small white head. Aroma is vague cornish and light honey herbal. Flavour is bitter,subdued swetness and vague honey touch. Light fruity touch.

Date: 11/29/2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub

clear copper, fine off white head, lots of scattered lace, light sweet malt aroma, sweet malt flavor with a nice honey sweetness, balancing earthy hops keeps the sweetness under control and leaves a light bitter finish,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 9/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

on tap-pours a disappearing off white head and copper color. Aroma is floral/herbal mild hops, medium malt. Taste is floral/herbal mild hops, medium malt. Some mead character. OK/mild effervescence.

Tap at San Marcos Brewing
Amber color, light lacing. Nose of light malt, some husky honey flavor. Light sweetness and lacking in any hop balanced. Fat finish and hard, unbalanced.

Sample at the brewpub. This brew is a clear amber/honey color with a wispy off-white head that burns away to an outer ring quickly. Spotty top ring of lace on the glass. Sweet honey and malt aroma. Light body with a sweet honey character, and flavors of malt and some floral hops. The finish is sweet and malty with a short honey aftertaste. Fairly one-dimensional overall.

(22 oz bottle: Purchased for $3.25 at the brewery) Either this bottle is mislabeled and I’m drinking their fine Amber Ale, or the Wild Clover Honey Ale isn’t too far off from the amber in flavor. Probably the latter. It’s quite malty and toasty, lightly bitter, and mildly sweet. Like most of their beers, it has that signature malt profile dominating the flavor. I’m not getting much, if any, honey or even the sugary sweetness normally attributed to honey beers. The nose is also quite malty, again with a slight honey aroma that’s probably imagined because it’s "supposed to be there." Medium body. Light amber color, fully clear in appearance. Smallish off-white head leaves oddly shaped bits of lacing here and there on the glass. If this is indeed the Wild Clover Honey Ale, it’s the maltiest, most flavorful and enjoyable honey beer I’ve ever had. The only problem is that I don’t really taste any honey! Will probably retry again the next time I visit this brewpub, and I’ll sample it from the tap instead.

This brew pours with a deep golden body topped by a medium thick head with some lacing left behind. The aroma and flavor are both sweet and malty with a slight hint of honey and a slight mustiness. The flavor also has a hint of hops in it. Light bodied and smooth.