Twisted Pine American Amber Ale

Brewed by Twisted Pine Brewing
Style: Amber Ale
Boulder, Colorado USA

Draft at the brewpub. A hazy amber beer with a thick orangey head. The aroma is sweet malty with primary notes of caramel as well as lighter notes of spices. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of caramel as well as lighter notes of hops, lending it notes of both grass and grapefruit, leading to a dry bitter finish.

on tap-pours a thin lumpy white head and amber/copper color. Aroma is sweet medium malt. Taste is sweet medium malt balanced with light, flat, biting hops. Good carbonation.

Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is clear dark amber. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted bread, caramel), lightly hoppy (apricot), lightly yeasty (dough). Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter, lightly acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Light to medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Light and watery, but otherwise fine/average.

Bottle from ericandersnavy. Pours copper with a multifinger off-white head. Smells like roast caramel and citrus. Near medium body with foamy carbonation. Flavor is rather citrus/fruity over medium roast caramel. Picks up surprising bitter in the finish. Very tasty for an amber.

4 oz sampler at the brewery, 4/15/06: Dark copper color. Slightly sugary but with a nice little metallic-hoppy bite. Categorized as a ’good’ American amber.

Tap. Pours caramel to light nut brown with a rocky off-white head. Aromas of cararmel malt with a fruit hop nose. Spotty lacing. Hoppy flavored with a malt body. Medium bodied palate.

The beer’s texture seems to start off crisp and effervescent, but it becomes a little thicker – and perhaps even chewier – toward the finish. At any rate, it’s really easy to quaff, and it would make a pretty decent session beer. It also tastes great with a barbecued burger ... brings out some of the beer’s woodsy and earthy notes. Malts provide a toasty, cookie-dough sweetness laced with caramel undertones. Malts are balanced by a complementing hop presence (light pine and spruce with a little citrus) that has a nice bitterness level to it (not too much, not too little). Flavorful aftertaste lingers like a welcomed guest. Nicely made beer. It’s best consumed fresh.

Stong nose of fruit and caramel, with a sticky sweet mouthfeel, and just a bit of piney resiny hops. Decent easy drinking amber.