Firefly Amber Ale
Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Chill haze amber with a large, airy khaki foam that settles in lumps.

Smell is metallic pine, orange, rug and cracker.

Taste is overall bitter of pine with light toast and pungent, sweaty orange rind. It's nearer to an IPA than your old school Amber.

The medium-light body has a crisp fizz and finishes semi-dry.

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3.52/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Light amber color with a small tan head.
Sweet, bready aroma. Faint earthy hops.
Some caramel, late bit of hops.
OK, a little underwhelming.
Not one I would buy gain.

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3.44/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

POUR: On draft into a nonic pint. Enjoyed at Maplewood Kitchen and Bar in Cincinnati, OH. APPEARANCE: Deep amber in color. somewhat clear with no real effervescence. Good looker with a thin white head. Lots of nice glass lacing. AROMA: Pretty subdued but I can pick up some subtle nutty and malty aromas. TASTE: Initially somewhat astringent, but reveals a deeper nutty and malty flavor. AFTERTASTE: This is where the beer starts to shine. The nutty and malty elements become more pronounced on the exhale. NOTES: Good looker. Could have probably consumed this at a wormer temperature to be able to accentuate the nutty and malty flavors. RATING/REVIEW: Good/ 3 out of 5.

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3.49/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Look: Amber, honey color with an offwhite, medium bubble head that foams up and lingers softly.
Smell: Sweet. Bready. Some honey. Mild earthiness.
Taste: More bitter than the smell that probably comes from the hop profile and the earthiness noted in the smell.
Feel: Somewhat lively, medium body, but refreshing
Overall: An ok amber but way better than any other mass market alternatives.

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3.5/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on draught in a pub in Cincinnati. It was served in a pint glass. It pours mostly clear but with a slight haze. The color is a bright Amber. It has virtually no head or lacing - only a wisp of ecru-colored foam. I suspect the pour would be more attractive from a can. The nose is subdued but there is definitely raspberry and toasted malt. The best attribute of Firefly is its taste. There is noticeable raspberry but it's tart rather than cloying. The other favors include lemon peel, toast, nuts, and just a hint of vanilla at the finish particularly as the glass warms. This ale is lite and crisp, moderately carbonated, and super-drinkable with an ABV of oNLY 4.5%. Overall, Firefly is pleasant to drink and paired well with a burger. While it's not an elite Red Ale it hit the spot on a warm, humid day.

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3.88/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured out of a 12 oz can into a pint glass, this beer pours a somewhat cloudy/hazy, medium amber color with a white head that's about 1-2 of an inch thick when first poured that settles to a medium ring lining the inside of the glass. Not much lacing. Aromas of some caramel malt sweetness and light to moderate hop undertones. The taste is pretty much the same, with a nice caramel malt, slightly biscuity and toasty malt sweetness that gives way to some slightly citrusy hope bitterness, but the malt flavors do tend to dominate a bit. Has a cramp, yet smooth, medium bodied mouthfeel with a clean finish. A decent beer all around here.

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3.39/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from can to pint glass; nice amber color with moderate carbonation to one finger head. Light hint of lemon and malts. Taste seems a little watery with lemon rind flavor that coats the tongue and lingers with the malts. An okay beer.

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3.05/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

A: Light copper orange color, foam color is somewhere in between white and light khaki color. 1 inch head that sticks around for the whole duration of the drink. Leaves a bit of lacing

S: Earth/floral scents hoppy scents with a touch of cracker malts. All the scents are pretty reserved

T: Taste is reserved just like the smell. Again floral tastes with a very gentle touch of cracker but a little bit more of a bready malt flavor

M: medium mouthfeel on the side of light, slightly more carbonation than average. Finish is on the watery side with a little bitterness

O: Pretty reserved flavors and malts. Feels like it is somewhere in between the malt heavy and the hop heavy beers and not necessarily in a good way. There just isn't a whole lot going on with this one, but its saving grace is its super drinkable. Overall a pretty average beer, slightly above average.

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3.27/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

­-can to spiegelau ipa glass.

A: Oxidized orange with a good clarity. Frothy oatmeal colored head, 0.5 inches with a good rate of retention. Skim coating of lace, mid-range carbonation with a rather quick pace.

S: Bar lemons on the nose, juicy toast malt. Fades rather quickly. Light in strength, and complexity.

T: Toasty caramelized malt, some citrus, pine with a fresh wet lemony flair. Some warming pine oils, for flavor, but rather light with a dry flowery hopping that failed to excite. Some sour lemony hops on the finish, the hops seem a bit off or old.

M: Light to medium mouthful, carbonation is nothing to write home about. Slippery texture, only slightly above average.

O: Lemony citrus hops against a wet toasty malting best sums this up. The hops seem off, perhaps old, musky, with only an average fanfare for excitement. Seems like a intro beer. No bottling date. 3.25 best wraps this up.

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3.62/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

beer tossed my way as an extra from a swap....appreciated! enjoyed from a Jackie o mini snifter. pretty nice amber. nothing out of the ordinary. big toasted amber malt.

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3.91/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Fresh, Toasty, Grainy, Balanced

The brewery calls this a“gateway beer” because it’s the lightest offering it has, but to me it’s one of Jackie O’s most complex brews. No barrel aging or wild bugs to lean on for hype, just the right setup of different grades of malts with a big but balancing kiss of citrusy, herbal hop flavor. Firefly is incredibly drinkable as well—beers of this stature deserve more respect. Try it.

Look 3.75 | Smell 4.00 | Taste 4.00 | Feel 3.75 | Overall 3.75

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine issue #106 (NOV 2015)

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3.54/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

12 oz can, stamped 6-15-15, so about 2 months old

pours a slightly hazy dark copper color, maybe a bit lighter than expected. big foamy white head settles down to a thin covering. aroma is a mix of biscuity and bready malts and earthy hops. the taste follows. medium bodied, a bit slick on the tongue.

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4.34/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Firefly Amber Ale brewed by Jackie O's Pub & Brewery, with an ABV of 4.50% This brew pours out a deep amber color almost brown. This brew also has a nice white head. The smell of Firefly Amber Ale, is rich with hops, grain, and malts. There is also a nice sweetness to this brew. Now for the taste, it is bold with flavors. You pick up grains and malts. You also pick up on the sweetness in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel of Firefly Amber Ale is smooth, rich and full bodied. The aftertaste is smooth and rich. I like how this brew is different from most brews on the market. Firefly Amber Ale has a nice balance to it, there is nothing overpowering about this brew. Overall I'm giving Firefly Amber Ale a 4.25 out 5. Jackie O's Pub & Brewery did a nice job with this one. I would buy this brew again. Thank you Jackie O's Pub & Brewery

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3.37/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The scent is a pretty bland, sweet bread and some caramel. The taste picks things up with a nice bed of fresh grain and lightly sweet caramel blend nicely with a mild spicy hop characteristic and a light citrus flavor on the finish.

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4.25/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Firefly Amber Ale - Jackie O's Pub & Brewery. Poured from the can into a pint glass, this beer's head is 1 finger thick and slightly off white, with a small bit of lacing, and a medium amber body.

I smell the toasted malts mentioned on the can, along with a fair amount of frutier hops.

Tastes like much of the same attributes mentioned above. A nice balanced blend of tastes going on here.

Mouthfeel of this product is smooth and clean. Just a tad of hop bite that quickly goes away.

Overall, I'll give Firefly Amber Ale - Jackie O's Pub & Brewery a 4.25. I may pick this up again throughout this summer.

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3.82/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can poured into a shaker pint glass. Can date of 12/29/14.

Appearance: Translucent amber. Light tan persistent rocky thin foam all across the top. Some fine strands of lacing noted.

Smell: Floral, light citrus and pine notes.

Taste: Nice toasted malt balanced with a distinct citrus and pine hop finish. There are some hints of herbal and earthy hops as well that make me think of English style hops (Kent Goldings). The beer finishes with a light lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Heavily carbonated and approaching fizzy. A little thin underneath.

Overall / Drinkability: For a simple low ABV amber, this is quite a good beer. Full of flavor, simple, and easily drinkable. Went very well with dinner (bacony beef tomato sauce pasta) and I think it would pair with a wide range of other foods as well. Despite it's low rating on BA, I think this is a pretty solid beer.

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3.47/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ok if you are trying to convert your friends to micro brews this is the one.
It has some bitterness in the hops but not to much and it is not overly dry.
The mouth feel is a light medium and after taste fades quickly
Overall if you have never had craft beer and want to try it out this is a good starting point. Nothing to rave about but still a regular in my fridge.

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3.52/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a can into a Great Lakes shaker. Very cloudy burnt orange color and definitely unfiltered. Not as carbonated as I anticipated. Nose has some nice bready toasted malt notes and some hops.

Medium-light body and firm feel. Nice biscuity malt notes up front and a well-balanced moderate hop rush adds spice at mid-palate. Finish is fairly dry, but not at all lasting. Nothing to get too exciting about here, just a nice mild amber ale that is balanced and flavorful with caramel, toffee, and lemon notes all working together. Exactly the kind of beer that many BAs shun, yet it is so superior to all macro beers that it reminds you just why we love craft.

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3.25/5  rDev -6.6%

Poured from a can. Standard hazy dark amber ale with light off white head and light lacing.
Nose of hops and roasted malts. Flavors are sweet malts up front and on the sides with
light herbal bittering hops on the back and aftertaste. Solid amber session brew with a healthy
dose of bittering hops.

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3.25/5  rDev -6.6%

A: Hazy Amber in color with a thick head
S: Malts and Hops dominate the nose
T: Malt sweetness, hop bitterness with a herbal aftertaste
M: What you would expect from an amber ale. light-medium body. higher in carbonation
O: Alright beer, this is one for an afternoon on a warmer day with friends.

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3.34/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

12 oz can with cool art. Poured into a pint glass, the brew is a hazed amber/bronze color with a white soapy head leaving webby lacing.

The aroma has a bit of nutty, toasted malts and a good helping of floral, citrusy hops. I would say it smells fairly hoppy for the style.

In the taste, nice crisp hops and a toasty malt character. Reminds me of a hoppy ale version of an Oktoberfest, or perhaps simply a "dark pale ale" which is a most humorous description. This is what we have come to, categorizing and recategorizing until it makes little sense. Essentially, this is a toasty, mildly fruity ale with a good backbone of orange, other citrus and herbal hop flavor and a solid bitterness.

Light to medium bodied, well carbonated brew with a cleaner finish. Drinks easily and is pretty tasty.

Overall, this is a reliable choice when in the Ohio area. If this was a mainstream beer available in my area I'd quite prefer this over the usual suspects. Good hop flavor and enough character to keep things interesting.

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3.46/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Very much average AA. Kind of a cloudy Golden. Not bad by any stretch, but for that matter, not overly memorable. Taste lacked a little bit and had a stale aftertaste despite being fresh and recently tapped. Worth a try but nothing more. There are much better AAs out there.

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3.36/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a perfect pint. I've been to Jackie O's many, many times and tried many, many beers, but this one along with most of their normal lineup have been overshadowed and forgotten during my trips. Thus, this is my first real endeavor into the usual.

3.0 A: Mildly hazed copper amber color. One and a half fingers of frothy off white head. Retention is about average and a short ring of lacing is left.

3.75 S: This smells like I want amber ales to smell like. Big toastiness up in the forefront with sweet caramel malts playing an almost as powerful supporting role. Grassy hops and a touch of earth to round it out.

3.25 T: The taste is good, but it lacks power and needs a stronger malt base. Toastiness, caramel, and grassy hops again, just not enough.

3.25 M: The mouthfeel is also lacking. Light to lighter medium body. Very lightly creamy. Needs more body and creaminess.

3.25 D: It's decent enough, but I'm not surprised that no one has ever said, "Here try this," while I was at JO's drinking much more interesting beers.

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3.68/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce can into pint glass, no canning date. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy orange amber color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, caramel, toast, biscuit, wheat, floral, grass, herbal, light honey, light pine, and floral/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of hop and malt notes; with decent strength. Taste of grapefruit, orange zest, lemon zest, caramel, toast, biscuit, floral, grass, herbal, light pine, and floral/toasted earthiness. Light earthy pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, orange/lemon zest, floral, grass, light pine, caramel, toast, biscuit, and floral/toasted earthiness on the finish for a bit. Nice complexity and robustness of hop and malt flavors; with a nice hop/malt flavor balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly creamy, smooth, and moderately crisp/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with zero warming present after the finish as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is a nice session amber ale. Good balance and complexity of hop and malt flavors; and very smooth and crisp to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

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3.5/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Snagged a bottle of this for $1.99 from Vintage Estate. Going in knowing this is a session amber with mild hop bitterness.

A - Very nice carbonation giving me a 1/4 inch of opaque colored head atop of a great orange brown hue beer. Looks great.
S - Mild toasted malts, some crust bread and a nice bouquet of herbal hop clusters,
T - Very hoppy and bitter but in an herbal way. Kind of unbalanced and un enjoyable like biting into a lemon rind. Where I smelled toasted malt or sweet malts is barley transitioned into the taste.
M - Watery enough to make it easy to sip/chug. Light to medium.

Overall it is light enough to session but the hops/malts could use a little more tweaking to achieve a better harmony. I could see why the rating of this is so low.

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