Siletz Arrowhead Amber Ale

Dark bronze, unfiltered color with a nice beige head. Bottle way too over carbonated. Thin mouth-feel. Watery, sweet beer. Really unimpressed. I cant put my finger on it, but something is off and unbalanced about this amber. Not your typical amber ale (in a bad way)

Name: Amber Ale
Date: 10/11/1996
Source: Brewfest, Newport, OR

amber, good head, columbus hop aroma (dry hopped), strong hop flavor, good non-bitter flavorful hop finish, more of a pale ale than an amber

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 5/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Score: **+/4
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The score was calculated based upon the notes and an old scoring system.

Sampled on draught at the brewpub in Siletz, Oregon during the ABA 07 Beer Tour. Pours a semi clear coppery amber brew with an average off-white head that dissolves quickly to a ring. Aroma of earthy caramel malt, citrus peel, and a touch of toffee. Taste is lightly carbonated, medium bodied with a metalic texture on the tongue. Flavors include some roasted malt and more citrus flavors than picked up in aroma. Finish is slightly gritty, with a citrus hoppy aftertaste. A bit over the top on hop bitterness compared to most other Amber Ales. More of a Dark Pale Ale caliper.

Bomber. Caramel aroma with a touch of grassy or floral hop. Coppery amber color with a beige head that rapidly flattened. Thin to medium bodied, with moderate carbonation. Caramel sweetness with some citrus sour. The finish is almost astringent, and there is some bitter. The finish puckers the mouth. A different sort of mix, but Siletz ales often have that citrus sour aspect. Better than many ambers.

22oz bottle pours cloudy amber with not much head at all. Aromas of slight caramel and grassy hops. Maybe a touch of citrus. Flavor is slight lemon blended with some caramel and an overall sour kind of overtone. Palate is somewhat on the watery side and actually just didn’t seem to have enough malt to hold it all together. I really have not been impressed with this brewer..

Hazy light brown, with a small creamy head. Aroma is lightly hoppy, flavor is somewhat earthy and toasted malt, with way too much citrus acidity, and slightly infected. Overly hoppy for the style, and finishes somewhat medinical.

(22 oz bottles: Siletz Brewing Co. in Siletz, OR and Liquid Solutions in Tigard, OR) Since the bottle I bought at Liquid Solutions was a close-out, it was a no-brainer to rate the bottle I bought at the Siletz brewery, figuring it should be the better sample. Unfortunately, it was total lemon juice and undrinkable. I don’t have too much hope for the other bottle since even Matt said it probably wouldn’t be very good, given the age. Well, alas, this bottle is healthy and quite tasty. Such is the situation at Siletz, where I’ve had more than my share of infected bottles. Anyway, with this bottle, two flavors immediately jump out at me: 1) lightly sweet but earthy and very toasty malts, and 2) moderately bitter and tart citrusy hops. Not a sweet amber at all, it’s only modestly sweet, and the almost-expected caramel flavor is kept to a minimum compared to most other ambers I’ve tried, so the mouthfeel is dry, clean, somewhat crisp, especially for an amber ale. Earth, toast and citrus dominate the nose. Medium body is about average for "beer", perhaps a touch thin as ambers go, and carbonation is about where it should be. The hazy color is fairly deep ruddy amber, and the off-white head barely rises to a quarter inch during the pour. However, what little head there is shows nice retention, maintaining a thin, partially broken layer atop the beer, and leaving some patchy lacing on the glass as I consume this beer. Overall for an amber, it’s a bit too citrusy and tart for my tastes, but the toasty flavor is quite nice, so this rings in at somewhere around average to me.

Poured a medium and slightly hazy amber/copper color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, grass, and some citrus. Tastes of citrus, caramel, grapefruit, toffee and a little nutty. Lively carbonation with a thinner feeling body.