Northwest's Best Cedar River Amber Ale
Trader Joe's Brewing Company

Purchased a 12-pack at the local Trader Joe’s. I hadn’t tasted this brew before, but figured I’d take a chance because the price was right and I was thirsty. Poured burgundy-amber into a tulip glass with a smallish off-white head, and some decent lacing, which faded shortly after the pour. Smelled of apples and other tart fruit with hints of plum and dark grape. Dark fruits and caramel malt emerged at the front of the taste, along with a lingering of understated butterscotch. Some mildly unpleasant bitter metallic tones emerged in the middle, but were not too distracting. A slight woody undertone carried throughout, with moderate alcohol in the middle and end. Some sour fruit notes and hops come out in the back end of the brew and finished it up nicely. ABV was not listed, but I’d guess around 5.5%. Smooth mouthfeel with a moderate amount of carbonation and just a little watery in the finish. This beer was much better than I anticipated. My favorite Hale’s brew is still the Wee Heavy Ale, but this was a nice surprise and I will purchase it again.

The beer pours a ruby red color with a thick frothy offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has a wonderfully malty scent that boasts of pale, crystal, and roasted malts. It's got a toastey, breadlike aroma along with a mild hop scent that adds good balance. The taste is good. It has a smooth and creamy flavor with a complex malt bill and a nice hoppy flavor and finish. It goes down easy with a malty feel, but finishes dry and earthy with a bitter hop taste. The mouthfeel is great. It is a medium/full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking amber ale. It has awesome malt character; a fine sessions beer.

Found a bottle of this among the singles at Trader Joe's. After trying the gold I wasn't optimistic, but it turned out somewhat better than I expected.

It was darker than most amvers. This looked more like a red, and was a little cloudy.

It smelled of tomato juice which isn't a bad smell, but in my experience often a bad sign. The beer wasn't skunky as I had feared though. They seem to have put plenty of malt into this one, and backed it up with a subtle but satisfying bitterness. I tend to be keen on reds, and not on ambers. This was walking the line between the two.

Stumbled across this amber ale while on one of my weekly sojourns to Trader Joe's. They always have an eclectic mix of beers, mostly of average quallity, but every so often you can find a gem.
Poured into a standard pint glass, Cedar River Amber had a clear maroon color and a scrawny 1/8" head that fizzled out in record time. Modest carbonation drifted lazily to the surface but there was no head to maintain.
The smell had the usual malt-and-fruit aromas consistant with the style. Nothing all that surprising. Mainly toasty caramel malt and orchard fruits.
The taste had a sweet malty flavor up front. The fruit taste was present but only briefly before a surge of otherwise undetected herbal hops took charge. The bitterly herbal nature held on through the finish. The feel was medium in body, smooth and a bit slick.
Overall, a serviceable brew which maintains a good balance between the malt and hops profiles. No an example of the style that's going to set the world off its axis, but then I haven't had many amber ales that have been all that impressive. Cedar River Amber weighs in at just slightly above average.