Irresistible Amber Ale
Madison River Brewing Company
- From:
- Madison River Brewing Company
- Montana, United States
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #456 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 81
Ranked #36,143 - Avg:
- 3.5 | pDev: 15.71%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 25
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Mar 02, 2022
- Added:
- Mar 01, 2005
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 3
SCORE
81
Good
81
Good
This amber is created with the use of choice hops and a unique blend of specialty malts to produce a rich and tasty brew. It is especially unique due to its original flavor influenced by biscuit and earthy characteristics.
28 IBU
28 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by REVELATION22
5/5 rDev +42.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +42.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I have tried thousands of beers from all around the world. That is not exaggerate at all. I live in Montana for the past 4 years now. This state does not have a lot of around the world beers to choose from. 17 years in New Mexico and they didn't have much either. 41 years in Kansas they had a HUGE selection of around the world beers. I thought this beer was a very smooth and excellent tasting beer and no after taste. It is extremely at the top of my list. It has a taste of its own. I think everyone will enjoy this beer. Even the ones that don't drink much beer or don't have a taste for it. This beer most likely will change their minds. Everyone should try it. I put money down that they will have another...lol
Nov 19, 2021
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
3.35/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.35/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Draft at Boise Fry Company. Lots of lively carbonation, negligible head. Medium amber body highlights the malts, mildly sweet throughout. Kind of sticky finish. Solid amber.
May 22, 2016
Reviewed by MFMB from Idaho
3.22/5 rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.22/5 rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Sooo I guess I got a little to carried away with my reviews and the folks at beeradvocate pulled a good 50 of them. My bad BA you I love you and I love beer and I'm sorry I done wrong. This beer was okay. How was that for a squeaky clean review?
Jul 22, 2015
Reviewed by BryanReed from Idaho
2.95/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
2.95/5 rDev -15.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Not bad, just not that great. Basically just "good enough" in all departments, but nothing excited me or stood out. Overall, a drinkable beer, but, I think I'll resist(haachacha!) buying it again.
Apr 12, 2015
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas
2.77/5 rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
2.77/5 rDev -20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Poured from bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a clear slightly red tinted amber color with a small head of pure white foam. The head has a very light level of retention, fading quickly to leave a good level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is an odd mix of sweet and somewhat gristy wheaty smells. The sweet is of a more caramel nature with the wheaty smells having hints of a more hay-like nature mixed within. A little bit of fruity peach and apricot smell as there as well as well as a little bit of a spent grain smell. Overall, not really an all that pleasant mix of smells.
Taste – The taste begins with a mix of a sweeter fruit and caramel taste along with a little bit of light roasted malt and bready flavor. The sweeter fruit flavors are a mix of cherry and plum, but these are light in comparison to the caramel. As the taste moves forward, the caramel grows more intense and is joined by a more buttery toffee flavor at the expense of the fruit. A little bit of a more woody and slightly gristy spent grain flavor come to the tongue at the end, leaving a rather oddly sweet, woody, and slightly stale grainy taste to linger on the tongue
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the average side for a brew of 5.5 % abv with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. A decent feel for the odd mix of flavors, but nothing too special.
Overall – Nothing too great here in my opinion. A little to gristy and stale tasting with a rather odd mix of flavors. It lacks balance, so not really one I would want to go to again.
Dec 03, 2014Appearance – The beer pours a clear slightly red tinted amber color with a small head of pure white foam. The head has a very light level of retention, fading quickly to leave a good level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is an odd mix of sweet and somewhat gristy wheaty smells. The sweet is of a more caramel nature with the wheaty smells having hints of a more hay-like nature mixed within. A little bit of fruity peach and apricot smell as there as well as well as a little bit of a spent grain smell. Overall, not really an all that pleasant mix of smells.
Taste – The taste begins with a mix of a sweeter fruit and caramel taste along with a little bit of light roasted malt and bready flavor. The sweeter fruit flavors are a mix of cherry and plum, but these are light in comparison to the caramel. As the taste moves forward, the caramel grows more intense and is joined by a more buttery toffee flavor at the expense of the fruit. A little bit of a more woody and slightly gristy spent grain flavor come to the tongue at the end, leaving a rather oddly sweet, woody, and slightly stale grainy taste to linger on the tongue
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the average side for a brew of 5.5 % abv with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. A decent feel for the odd mix of flavors, but nothing too special.
Overall – Nothing too great here in my opinion. A little to gristy and stale tasting with a rather odd mix of flavors. It lacks balance, so not really one I would want to go to again.
Reviewed by CalgaryFMC from Canada (AB)
3.67/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.67/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pint on tap at Grand Union Hotel in Fort Benton, MT. Arrived a light copper penny amber with two to three fingers of creamy beige head. Aroma of sugary slightly toasted malts and lightly floral and earthy hops, with hints of cherry and apple. Palate is also rather sweet and smooth, hop flavor is very low-key although there is a slight emergent lemon-lime note and some floral tobacco. Malt-forward, with granola and caramel predominating and complemented by an overarching honeyed sweetness. Moderate body and carbonation, mouthfeel perhaps on the thin side although the sweetness works to counteract this. Finishes semi-dry and fruity. This is the second beer I've had from this brewery (see review for Salmon Fly honey rye) and both are pleasant enough and reasonably well-crafted, although there is a strong urge to use qualifiers and tempered language when describing ... Inoffensive and gentle beers rather than a bold statement.
Oct 13, 2014
Reviewed by Foyle from North Carolina
1.84/5 rDev -47.4%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.75
1.84/5 rDev -47.4%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.75
Appearance: pours with a 1" off white sudsy heads that recedes quickly. Faint lacing only. Color is a slightly cloudy amber with small amount of carbonation streaming.
Aroma: sweet barley malt syrup, toasted wheat bread, some earthy hop spice as well.
Mouthfeel: light and watery with a dry finish.
Flavor: mild flavor, I expected more in the taste based on the aroma. Bland is the best way I can describe the flavor. There is not much of the expected caramel sweetness from an amber ale. Hard to find something good to say about this one.
Apr 27, 2014Aroma: sweet barley malt syrup, toasted wheat bread, some earthy hop spice as well.
Mouthfeel: light and watery with a dry finish.
Flavor: mild flavor, I expected more in the taste based on the aroma. Bland is the best way I can describe the flavor. There is not much of the expected caramel sweetness from an amber ale. Hard to find something good to say about this one.
Reviewed by flagmantho from Washington
2.9/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
2.9/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.
Appearance: lightish amber hue with a moderate haze and a pretty light effervescence. Head poured a finger of frothy ivory foam but dissipated pretty quickly. Nothing special here.
Smell: sweet and caramelly malt with a bit of breadiness. Stylistically appropriate, but a bit cloying for my preference.
Taste: overly sweet, bready and biscuity. I'm not usually a huge fan of ambers, but I like to try them because sometimes they really surprise me. In this case -- no. Too sweet, too biscuity and too blah.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation. Not super creamy, but there's something here into which I can sink my teeth.
Overall: this beer isn't terrible, it's just too sweet to suit me.
Oct 08, 2013Appearance: lightish amber hue with a moderate haze and a pretty light effervescence. Head poured a finger of frothy ivory foam but dissipated pretty quickly. Nothing special here.
Smell: sweet and caramelly malt with a bit of breadiness. Stylistically appropriate, but a bit cloying for my preference.
Taste: overly sweet, bready and biscuity. I'm not usually a huge fan of ambers, but I like to try them because sometimes they really surprise me. In this case -- no. Too sweet, too biscuity and too blah.
Mouthfeel: medium body with a decent carbonation. Not super creamy, but there's something here into which I can sink my teeth.
Overall: this beer isn't terrible, it's just too sweet to suit me.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!