Original Amber Ale
Cody Brewing Company

Original Amber AleOriginal Amber Ale
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From:
Cody Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 12.89%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
24
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 15, 2015
Added:
Apr 24, 2011
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by donkeyrunner:
Photo of donkeyrunner
Reviewed by donkeyrunner from Massachusetts

3.66/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Very cloudy like reddish brown swamp water. Impressive band of lace left by hearty retention. I like the classic style bottle art.

Smells toasty with a little crystal sweetness. Nutty up front with a hefty earthy bitter in back. The 40 IBUs aren't wasted and this is almost like a clean, American ESB. Some chocolate malt dark bread in back.

I bought this beer in the mindset of if this is as bad as their infected banana bread dunkel I give up on Cody. A pleasant surprise.
Nov 03, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by mattycasey from Massachusetts

Jun 15, 2015
Photo of scotorum
Reviewed by scotorum from Massachusetts

3.47/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bought a bomber at Beverage Baron in Barre Vermont on my way home from the Lawson's 6th anniversary Beer Lovers Market April 21st. It was out for $1 so I figured I'd take a shot that it would at least not be awful.

Poured from the 22 oz. bottle into a Lawson's tulip glass.

a: Translucent dark amber with a finger thick light tan head which receded to thin patchy surface foam and tiny bits of lacing.

s: A curious cleaning-fluidish aroma subsides after while.

t: Slight mustiness over medium malt. Some hop bite. Bitterish finish all over the tongue mellows later.

m: Light to moderate, lots of carbonation tingle on the tongue. Apparently plenty of carbonation remained unreleased by the straight-down pour,.

o: Drinkable but the persistent mustiness is initially annoying. However eventually that fades to a pretty nice caramel malt-dominated brew. No visible bottling date info, although it says the brewery was founded in Amesbury Mass. in 2005 and this is their flagship brew made since 2006 at Mercury Brewing of Ipswich Mass. (where some very good brews are made for Ipswich Brewing and others). Wouldn't be too surprised to find it was actually bottled in 2006. But then it only cost me $1, so I don't feel cheated or anything. It was still way better than most mainstream big company beers.
May 14, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Denzo from Massachusetts

Oct 07, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by HattedClassic from Virginia

Sep 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by jayhunter357 from Massachusetts

Sep 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by fermentedbarley from New Hampshire

Sep 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by bluerabbit from Massachusetts

Jun 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Satchboogie from Belgium

Apr 26, 2013
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.49/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours an off white colored fizzy fluffy almost 1 finger head, that fades semi slowly, nice high water mark lacing, the color is darker than expected, hazy dark mahogany caramel colored brownish beer with barely any light coming through, hardly an amber/red color.

Nose is just as unusual, a fruity like aroma going on, something from the yeast no doubt, almost lager like fruity but not quite, before moving quickly into malts, plenty of caramel and little toasty malt, even a hint of a grainy almost straw like aroma, a little corn stalk slightly wet cardboard thing but it's not really oxidation... then nutty malts and toffee, then light grassy slightly spicy and earthy herbal hop like aromas.

Taste brings more uniqueness, starting with the malts, a little grainy corn husky thing and straw, nutty toffee and some caramel, as well as a little toasty malty sweetness, and just a touch syrupy. Hops are fairly bitter, slightly spicy but earthy and herbal hops, and a touch oily and vegetal. It does bring a slightly yeasty flavor that comes through with the husky flavor. Bitterness ramps as it goes, and finishes pretty bitter, spicy earthy herbal bitterness, fairly dry but a little sticky remnants, light grainy brown malt flavor lingering.

Mouth is med bodied, decent carb.

Overall... I'm not really sure where to go with this. It wasn't very good, as the "amber" ale flavors are muted and barely there, it has too much of the toffee nutty flavors, hops are not really where I expected them to go, and on top of all that the husky vegetal flavors and yeast additions just don't jive well. However, I really have a feeling these unnice flavors are pertinent to the transformation from draft to bottle. So I really hope to try this again on draft sometime. I like the Wheelers Brown much more... and I remember having an IPA or Pale ale on draft at Amesbury Alehouse once and it was much better.
Mar 10, 2013
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
From a bottle. Sampled at a tasting on June 17, 2012. The color is medium amber with a soft and silky tan head that sticks around. The aroma is pleasantly balanced with a decent caramel malt note, light hops, and quite fresh. The body falls into the medium range but it is also smooth on the tongue. A short and sweet upfront malty character leads off the tasting experience with a moderate hop bite finishing things off. All told this is a decent amber ale and one that I could easily drink again.
Jun 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by standardcherry from Massachusetts

May 25, 2012
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep golden brown color with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, some hops and some citrus.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of caramel and citrus followed by breadiness from a hearty malt character. The hops presence is decent for the style and brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: A little tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer overall but there are better beers in the style.
Apr 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by AdamP from Pennsylvania

Apr 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by polishkaz from Connecticut

Apr 07, 2012
Photo of morebeergood
Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a bomber into a pint glass. Dark brown color showing reddish highlights, with a small head. Decent lacing on the glass. Smell reminded me a bit of fresh carrot cake. Nice roasted malt flavor, along with a pronounced hop profile at the finish. Mouthfeel was great for an amber, as it was almost as thick as some porters I've tried. Good to finally be able to grab a bottle of Cody's brew and sit down with a pint to review. Pretty decent beer.
Apr 02, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by erlenmeyer from Maine

Mar 13, 2012
Photo of KarlosT
Reviewed by KarlosT from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
First had this beer at a wine tsating benefit, where the brew masters from Cody's were serving the attendees from Growlers. Very down to earth, and forth coming about their methods and love of brewing beer.

They had several beers available for trying. I really favored this amber beer, which had a hoppiness similar to an IPA (but more milder). I found the flavor rich, some hoppiness, not too bitter ... just right for me.

Ended up buying a case !! Just as good at home in the bottles as from the growlers.
Dec 05, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of BigCheese
Reviewed by BigCheese from Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Growler. Batch 0. Looks like this place is pretty new. Dad bought this Growler so not sure how fresh or where from but should be interesting.

Pours a nice rusty amber, pretty big head that lasts and leaves some rings.

Taste is full flavored. Some nice bready malts. Some honey/syrupy sweetness up front followed by a fairly pronounced hop bitterness. A nice balance/combo of flavors but I found it a bit over malted.

Extremely sessionable, and relatively light, a good beer to pair with some food.

Decent offering, more hops than the style typical entails, yet i thought they could have eased up on the malt character if that makes sense.
Aug 16, 2011
Original Amber Ale from Cody Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 24 ratings