Sand Creek English Style Special Ale

Brewed by Sand Creek Brewing Co. (Pioneer/Wisconsin Brewing Co.)
Style: Amber Ale
Black River Falls, Wisconsin USA

Pours a copperish color with small amount of head. Smells is caramel, roasted grain, and toasted nuts. Taste is roasted grain, sweet malt and a touch of caramel. Also a bit buttery with faint hop spice.

Copper body with minimal white head. Caramel, PineSol, spices, vanilla, malt powder. Some creaminess in the mouth but otherwise unimpressive. The flavor had some sweetness and a little hops bitterness but nothing appealing.

Some lightly roasted caramel malt and a touch of nuttiness in the background with a light floral/earthy hopping highlight. Decent, but very much a third tier beer.

Bottle. Clear caramel pour with a nice cap of creamy beige head. Nose was of spicy malts, toasted caramel, butter, toffee, and faint hints of diacetyl. Kind of abrasive on the first pass across the palate... chalky, toasty, fizzy, and spicy all at once. As it warmed, it smoothed out with a pleasant caramel and toffee base.. mild herbal bitterness enveloped the mouth. Lighter-bodied with buttered toffee and herbal bitterness on the finish. Hit the spot.

Deep amber/red with a thin tan head. Aroma of roasted malts, nuts and toffee-butter. Rich toasted malt flavor with a crisp hop finish. Very nice.

Bottle... Slightly hazey amber pour; thin tan head. Nothing overpowering in the aroma, mostly roasted malts and some piney/herbal hop notes. Flavor is quite good...robust and malty, but not sweet. Toasted malt aftertaste with nice hop bitterness for balance. Crisp and refreshing while still full-bodied. Doesn’t really scream "English Style" to me, but as an "Amber Ale", it’s good.

12z bottle. After pouring, the bottle had a caramel, pipe tobacco aroma, hmm! Hazy, amber brown hue, with little ring of cream colored fizz. Syrup and molasses nose. Cola and butter. Sweet breads and coffee. Still rather chilled, but the coffee and bitter chocolate malt notes are abundant. Yeah, I’ll say it too, buttered toast! And that’s what tends to linger. But in the middle, a fresh pine note and a citrus hint. Still coffee and caramel. Once I started going through the number ratings, I realized that this is hitting the spot, but it is not a prime example of the style. So, what’s more important? Regardless, the night has ended on a good note!

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with hopdog, thanks Steve!) Whoa, buttered toast anyone? Strong toastiness and a moderate buttery flavor really jump out in this amber ale. It’s less sweet and caramely than some, but these flavors still have presence here. A moderate bitterness helps to balance the beer somewhat. Lots of toast in the aroma as well. Medium bodied, with a long-lasting flavor. Dark and cloudy amber body is initially topped by a small off-white head, but that fades quickly to a tiny ring, leaving no lace behind. A little odd to taste such a buttery beer, but it seems to work fine in this case.