Upland Amber Ale

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Bloomington, Indiana USA

Bottle. Mild malty and hoppy aroma underneath the caramel and light nutiness. Amber pour with an ephemeral tan head. Medium body is mostly very crisp with an occasional moment of wateriness. Tastes toasted, nutty, with strong caramel and only slight chocolate. Flavor is potent. A little biscuit and nice chewy dark malts. Nice sweetness before a medium-dry toasted finish. Simplistic. Reasonably well balanced. A lot better than I was expecting, but still, it’s an Amber Ale (and a textbook example, at that), not a ton here.

The label on this one says Hoosier Hops Amber Ale, but I didn’t want to add a new beer and find out it’s a duplicate, thus having my posting privileges revoked. But, I digress. I got this beer as a gift from relatives in Carmel, Indiana. When I opened the bottle, I was impressed by the hoppy aroma that raced to my nose. The pour was difficult, as there was a ton of head to this beer. This may be my fault from the pour however. Once it settled down into the pint glass, I noticed a very ruddy auburn brown color with a very light tan head. This beer looks a lot like Harbor City’s Mile Rock Amber, which is a personal favorite of mine. I’m excited to try it. First sip. Wow. A very nicely carbonated tingle, but this does have a mild bitterness that tastes somewhat off. Sorry, first thing I noticed. Later during consumption, I found the taste to be sort of nutty. The strong astrigency of the hops is prevalent throughout, but the beer balances out more as it warms. This was a very hoppy version of an amber ale. Not the best amber ale I’ve ever had by far, but I’d drink another couple. Decent.

On tap at the brewpub. Pours a rich red-brown/dark amber with a nice loose white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity/flowery-- this smells more like a lowkey IPA than most bland ambers I’ve drank. Definitely caramel and toffee notes. The palate is smooth and foamy, though not moreso than is becoming of a session style, perhaps a bit more viscosity wouldn’t hurt. this beer really has a very nice balance between malt and hops--it’s rather sweet and rather hoppy, which I always like. Caramel and toffee in the malt with flowery spice hops. There’s also some amaretto and vanilla in here. This is a personal local favorite of mine.

Looks red/bronze with a nice white head. Aroma is a little weak, but still nice- It smells sweet, malty, maybe plums or some similar fruit, and some vanilla. I taste vanilla, caramel, malt, and some spicy flavours. Its a little creamy, and has a bit of a chocolatey aftertaste. This is a good beer, a lot going on!

Golden-amber with robust caramel-coloured head. Light caramel and nuts aroma. Toasty, nutty, caramelly flavours. Sweetish finish. On the bland side of the style.

12 oz bottle from Sept ’05. Poured with medium off white head leaving some lacing. Subtle berry and mild hop aroma with reddish amber color. Malty slightly biscuity flavor with some hop bitterness. Finishes clean with a touch of hop flavor behind. The body is a touch thin but quite acceptable.

Aug ’05 Bottle thanks to MIke. Cloudy dark red-brown body under a foamy white head. Raspberry syrup and cookie malt in the aroma. Medium-strength flavor of red fruit and biscuit malt with a light lemon hop uplift in the finish. A very nice amber that I’d like to try fresh!

Bottle from BBB63. Medium to deep amber colored and clear. Fair sized off-white head. Fair lacing. Caramel/toffee aroma with perhaps some earthy hops. Mild flavors of caramel and lightly roasted malt. Prototypical amber ale.