1890 Founder's Ale
Grayton Beer Company

 

Bottled 5/18/23. DFH tulip.

A: one of the darkest American Ambers I’ve ever seen; good clarity though. Not much visible carbonation or head retention.

S: recovering from a cold, but getting some toasted malts a-la tootsie roll here; but less sweetness than I’d expect. A little green/earthy hoppiness. Almost a little English on the nose.

T: initial hit of chewy malt, but far less sweet than I was expecting. A little toasty malt, then a big punch of earthy, woodsy hop bitterness. Probably in the neighborhood of 35-40 IBU. No caramel sweetness, so it’s not really to style.

M: weight is lighter end of medium, carbonation low, finish is surprisingly clean. Again, not quite to style; lighter weight than is really appropriate.

O: I don’t quite know what to make of this beer besides the fact that I like it. Ambers usually suffer from being cloying and sweet, and this is definitely not that. Clean and moderately dry, this is really refreshing, albeit considerably darker in color, lighter in body, and less sweet than to style. That said, this is a dark beer to drink when it’s 86 degrees outside at night. Very impressed by this brewery. Wish I’d reviewed their blonde, which I also loved. My rating reflects to style; but I really liked this. Probably more of an American Strong Ale, with low ABV.

On tap at Grayton Brewpub. And then later that evening, poured a bottle into a pub glass at the condo. Very dark for an amber, nearly brown rust color. The beer smelled nice and hoppy, with piney and citrusy notes, as well as the rich malty notes. Reminded me of a Sierra Torpedo or Celebration, but it's not exactly like them. It tastes sharper and pretty intense. Very nice brew for a cool evening, and it did have a distinct woodiness that was enjoyable, and did present a nice creme colored head when poured correctly. Piney cascade hop bitterness for the modern balance against the deep malt base. Full bodied. Well done, very drinkable.

Taking the Red Ale to the Pacific Northwest side, Grayton Beer's American Amber Ale embraces a firm hop spicing on a drier and toastier backbone for that uniquely American taste.

1890 Founder's Ale comes with a deep honey amber and an eggshell froth. Firmly capped, the hop aromatics drift across the nose with a citrus and pine medley along with a toastier, sweeter and more savory backdrop. Its taste is toasty sweet with early impressions of toffee, candied nuttiness, butter pecan and heavy toast.

With that hearty malt foundation in place, the toasted sweetness stews confidently on the middle palate just as the hops start to pile on. A bold sense of pink grapefruit, orange peel and pineapple lead the way with a background of peach and apricot for a complex blend of hop derived fruit and fruit esters. Trending toastier and more bitter, the late taste is emboldened by suggestions of fresh pine, fresh grass clippings and citrus peels that are given greater bite by the toastier remnants of malt.

Medium bodied and drying with the aid of those hop resins and toasty edges, the beer fades into a bittersweet finish and a linger of hop bitterness that edges out the malt sweetness in a medium long aftertaste.

I tried this at the pub just of A30 near Grayton beach. It poured a clear amber with thin white head that left a decent lace. The scent included pine and citrus notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with bitter citrus presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall it is a decent. beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from an undated 12 oz. bottle: reddish-amber to almost garnet in color with a very nice foamy, beige head. The label states brewed and bottled in Santa Rosa Beach, FL (the panhandle) but "Orlando" is stamped on the label, so I don't know.

I was impressed by the sharp and tangy hop aroma that exploded from the bottle just after the opening. Will this translate to the flavor?

Well no, but it is still tasty with a solidly malty backbone with hints of caramel and butterscotch. There is just enough hop to keep it interesting and not cloying; minimal roast in the flavor. It is nice to enjoy a basic, American style amber once in awhile.

Good dash of zesty carbonation with a medium body gives this ale a solid and sweetly mellow mouthfeel.

Not my favorite amber style ale but very good on a cool Florida evening.

Golden amber. Lots of complexity but not really satisfying. The piney bitter is a little odd. Tried at Sea Side restaurant