Boont Amber Ale
Anderson Valley Brewing Company

 

A very malt forward beer with the sharp bite of caramel. Poured cold with lots of head and a ton of lacing. It's a flavorful beer with nice bold flavors. Would definitely drink again and nice to have something different from an IPA or a stout.

 

Boont Amber draft at Brickhouse in Patchogue, NY, in fall 2022. Brickhouse has a mix of guest taps these days to complement the three house-brewed beers. Boont Amber is a good amber beer with a fairly dry body and a nice bitter aftertaste. Hoppy character is to me the outstanding characteristic. The alcohol comes through compared to the Brickhouse Red that I had earlier.

(12 oz can, 21231 8421/25; purchased single off shelf at Shangy's yesterday... poured into a shaker pint)

L: clear, beautifully tawny-colored liquid; tight, but fleeting tan foam pad... keeps a thin, messy cap and a creeping collar; some suspended speckled sediment

S: chewy caramel, Bavarian-style soft pretzel; bit of a floral hop overtone... damn, classic amber ale aromas; I feel like it's been too long; reminiscing... superb intensity, depth, and expression; 3D

T: toasted caramel, but not terribly sweet, perhaps owing to the burst of piney, herbaceous hops contrasting the round, juicy sugary malts... aftertaste has some of than caramelized, custardy malts, but the mellow yet pungent hop bitterness pushes to the fore; relatively dry too

F: yes, it has a certain roundness to its body, but it's featherlight, likely due in part to its (I'm sure) great attenutation but also maybe its stealth sizzling simmer of carbonation... the peppery accent of the hop bitterness probably helps accentuate its dryness... at any rate, it has a fulfilling facade

O: this can appears to be almost a year old, but what a joy it was having this again; definitely a throwback, and I guess I missed it??... never knew how fantastically flavorful and drinkable this is; I could see grabbing this again come autumn and exploring it some more (1962)

Decent beer worth having but not that special.

Look: Amber-red in the glass and looks brown on the pour from which a silky-looking beige head forms and holds as a pillow before receding, leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Freshly baked bread, red apple skins, a little caramel, light wafts of earthiness, and some toffee
Taste: Caramel and bready malt come together in full force to start things off and develop depth as they settle in. Some fruity esters and mild earthy hops peek in some but the bready and sweet malt continue on undeterred through the close
Mouthfeel: Full, pretty clean, medium-high carbonation, and a soft and slightly smooth finish
Overall: This is good stuff. I haven’t had this beer in years but it’s such a classic, I had to revisit and review this unassuming gem. An easy-drinking and well-made Amber with good malt presence throughout and is overall quite simplistic and straightforward, which is part of the allure to me of Ambers

 

12oz can

Pours a finger of tan head into my can-style glass. Retention is average and the head fades within in a minute or two. Initial lacing looks very nice. Body is amber with a lot of brown and some shades of orange. Looks decent so far.

Nose is extremely peculiar. Very floral, loads of honey. There is a faint suggestion that this could be slightly old, but I have no idea because the canning date is illegible, plus these big honey notes certainly are not associated with that. This….doesn’t smell bad, and I’m quite intrigued.

Flavor is very similar at first, mostly just a very forward honey flavor. Not at all what I’m expecting out of a red, no caramel, not much hop flavor. As it warms there is some oxidation that starts to come through. Initially this works, but as the oxidation comes out it becomes less and less enjoyable.

Carbonation is medium-high. Body is somewhat light. A touch of sweetness and a bit of bitterness, pretty well balanced. Overall a good mouthfeel.

This is still relatively drinkable, there isn’t anything horrible here.

Appearance turned out quite nice. Lacing was pretty thick all the way down.

Overall this is ok, but the oxidation certainly hurts things.

 

Nice bottle with a logo that hasn't changed during the recent beer craze. This is a solid amber ale with a flavor that I consider "nutty". Malty and flavorful and well balanced.

 

 

draught
very thick, creamy and undulating, long lasting, ivory hued head. Lovely, crystal clear, medium dark orange tinged amber appearance. Light, butterscotch & malted aroma. Subtle, medium bodied, slight caramelized malt flavor which is lightly hopped.

 

Deep, clear copper color with a frothy top of off white foam and patchy lacing. Mellow aromas of toasted cereal grain. Nicely balanced flavors of toasted malt, caramel, fruit esters, and earthy and spicy hops. Steers well clear of sweeter. Idea to remain crisp and refreshing. Medium body, creamy feel and moderate carbonation.

 

 

 

Pours a clear caramel and amber color. A large frothy head displays great retention and lacing.

The nose is sweet with notes of caramel, cracker and biscuity malts. There is a touch of roasty malts that evoke chocolate. Aromas of fruit including orange and cherry, as well as floral and woodsy hops.

The taste turns out to be too sweet to my liking with too many flavors of butterscotch. The palate is somewhat dry but not enough. Flavors of cracker and biscuit malts, lightly creamy and with notes of caramel. Flavors of fruity, woodsy and floral hops and a developing bitterness that somehow feels unbalanced. The finish is semi dry and somewhat crisp.

Medium bodied and mostly smooth. The carbonation is moderate.

Maybe there was something wrong with this can as it was off flavored and hard to finish.

 

LOOK - deep gold / copper hue - crystal clear - 1 finger head that receded rapidly - some lacing persists
SMELL - tangy dark fruit - some molasses - slight vinegar
TASTE - bitter hop bite - scorched brown sugar - tobacco - molasses - tangy fruitiness - a bit harsh on the bitter side and not much on caramel and malt - some funk
FEEL - a bit thin - carbonation dies out
OVERALL - a decent Amber ale - seemed a bit too bitter and needed a bit more of that funky / tangy "red" beer flavor and caramel maltiness - still a good brew

 

Surprisingly unique...

This brew was unique on so many fronts - dark copperish color, spice ladened smell, and a mouthfeel that is truly full-bodied. The taste was full of that same spice noted in the nose and overall I graded it for the true surprise that it was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A strong pour from a 12-oz. can yields a fat finger of creamy light-beige(hint of amber) foam with average retention and arches of lace. Hazy burnt amber color with small rising bubbles.
Caramel malt, baked brown sugar, spicy hops and peppery alcohol greet the nose and palate. Mild sweetness and bitterness, roasted malt is noticeable. Candied apples and baked pears "sweeten the pot" with an increased hop bite, then, a fast and clean drier finish. A mild astringency and hop bite linger. Medium body, plenty of reserved carbonation, a little boozy. True to style, easy drink. Almost sessionable, two-three for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

120z. bottle poured into a 20oz. weizen glass delivers a full two fingers of soft white foam with the amber shade. The head of foam lasts for minutes and really never disappears. The carbonation looks very nice in the glass.
The aroma is a little bit of hops.
The taste starts with the hops, then the sweet caramel flavor, I can't say it's bitter, maybe just a bit dry.
There is a nice feel of carbonation, a little creamy feel.
This beer is great, hard to find in WI., but Anderson Valley Boont Amber will always be smuggled home when I return from Ca.