Amber Ale
Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub

Amber AleAmber Ale
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.6 | pDev: 11.39%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
9
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 24, 2016
Added:
Jul 27, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.17/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Looks the red ale part, a little lighter, some amber in it. 1/4" head that stuck around. Malty red sweetness in the aroma, not a high hopped red.

Malt body is just right, mildly sweet, absorbs some bitterness, not enough given the lack of hop flavor and metallic aspect to it. Toffee, peat, earth.
Feb 24, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by sharpski from Canada (BC)

Jul 18, 2014
Photo of Beerandraiderfan
Reviewed by Beerandraiderfan from Nevada

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Amber and orange color, decent looking beer, small head to it, but good retention. Residual sweetness seems to be the most noticeable thing in the smell.

Good hop snap, right amount of sweetness, right amount of malt heft to it, some toffee nut aspect, but that is very understated. Even the copper like metallic mouthfeel that enters pairs well with every other aspect in the beer. Earthy.

Actually a lot more complex than a lot of beers in the style for the time period it was out.
Aug 03, 2011
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a very deep dark red color with a white head. If you need a beer to serve as an example of red ale this would be a good choice.

Smell is strongly of grain and biscuit malt. There is a bit of fruit scent to this and a hint of caramel.

Taste is biscuit and chocolate malt with a solid strong bitter backbone. Bit of floral hop flavor and some leaf hop. Flavor isn't that complex just a strong red ale.

Mouthfeel is OK.

This is an OK beer but not great. This lacks in complexity and depth. I don't think I will buy this again; it’s not bad but I can find better.
Feb 20, 2005
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Presentation: 12 fluid ounce brown glass bottle. Dark red label that is different to the one listed, in fact I nearly added this as a new brew until I delved deep into the “Amber” Reviews. The label is a dark red background with a picture of a rocky mountain waterfall crashing into a placid blue lake set inside a shield design that has the words “Cedar River Amber ale” across it and “Northwest’s Best” above it in a yellow ribbon. Color coded black and red crown cap. No listed strength or visible freshness date.

Appearance: Ruddy reddish body with a clear chestnut aura. Pours with a large healthy tan brown head that has great staying power. Thin wispy lacing remains on the glass sides but the head always stays at least ½’ thick throughout the drink. Average levels of conditioning help to bolster this one in the Glass.

Smell: Toasted sweet malts mixed with a nasal pulling hop character, very “Red” in character. Sweet-Sharp-Hop-Brown-Sugar nose. Inviting.

Taste: Malty beginnings with a sweet brown sugary middle that exhibited a slight gingery feel. Finishes with a bright sharp tart yet toasty red-style hop bite. Not much in the lingering finish or ending. Quick decline after the swallow but there is a mild caramel biscuit swage in the latter third.

Mouthfeel: Above average feel, a bold ‘Red’ that should give thanks to the toasted malts and sharp hop bite for presenting a bigger than expected feel.

Drinkability: A nice brew but I’m not that much of a ‘Red’ fan. Nice enough but the one bottle is enough for me, I’m not panting for a second that’s for sure.

Overall: Tasty brew, one of those intriguing lone single bottles that makes its way onto the Trader Joes shelves once in a while. Only cost about 80cents and wasn’t a bad investment, but not one that I shall make again.
Feb 16, 2005
Photo of henrysunset
Reviewed by henrysunset from Washington

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
called "northwest's best - cedar river amber"

L - darker than some amber's but the redness is very present. modest head of fairly fine white bubbles. Leaving plenty of lacing on the rim.

S - Nice, Apparent floral hops, only slightly bitter smelling. smell reminds me of chimay trippel for some reason, but less intense.

T - yum, taste is fresh and earthy/grainy. Hops are not huge, but very pleasent. Only unpleasentness is a very mild flavor that resembles the "taste of glassware".

M - Pretty thin, but not very astringent. only lightly carbonated. Doesn't distract from the beer, nor add to it.

D - Very high drinkability. It's mild and balanced, and tasty. This coudl be a session beer, but isn't as tasty as many finer beers. Lack's the "twang" or sharpness that I enjoy from Fat Tire and Mac & Jack's, but has a little more hoppiness which I like.
Oct 17, 2004
Photo of beertaster13
Reviewed by beertaster13 from Washington

4.15/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Wow, this one suprised me, Hale's Ales is usually good but this offering is exceptional. Pours a red/amber color with traces of orangish/copper. The head was a mixture of tan/white and rose to great heights, faded a little but still impressive. Lacing was noticable and fantastic. The smell is a blast of floral tones and honeydew. A very suprising sweet forefront, the background is a nice blend of hoppy aromas. (syrupy tones hinted but barely detected) The taste is fabulous, the sweet malts mixed with honey and melons stands out here, the hops at the end perfectly balance out the sweetness the malts bring, sweetness is heavy but hops add a twang that keeps this beer refreshing and smooth, a medium bodied ale. I could drink alot of these, they quench a nice thirst, perfect on those hot days, a very quenchable ale.
Jun 17, 2004
Photo of RoyalT
Reviewed by RoyalT from Michigan

4.07/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Appearance – Reddish-orange in color with a head that started out really nice but went down too quick. It left a tiny bit of lacing though so it looked cool.

Smell – This has the classic Red Ale nose. There’s a sharp floral hop profile mixed with toasted malts that are a bit on the sweet side. The sugars are light summer fruit (like melons, for instance) rolled in table sugar. The sharp hopping dominates, though.

Taste – Oh, this is good. The malts expand to lead the way here and they are slightly spiced with pepper and a little on the sweet side. The hops are sharp and distinctive and evenly matched with the malts. The finish is sweet and sugary yet quenching at the same time.

Mouthfeel – This one is very smooth. It is medium in the body and refreshing.

Drinkability – This was a terrific surprise from the buck-a-beer section of the grocery store. Am I the first one to try this from the bottle?
Dec 20, 2003
Photo of jreitman
Reviewed by jreitman from California

4.07/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
(from notes at brewery) Amber color with a hint of orange. Very strong yet pleasant nutty smells. Niceley balanced beer with a good amount of malt sweetnes. Some hop bittereness and flavors (flowers) were there but in the background. The best beer I had during my visit to the brewery.
Jul 27, 2002
Amber Ale from Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub
Beer rating: 3.6 out of 5 with 9 ratings