The Gambler American Amber
Outlaw Brewing

i think their description of this is right on, a little unconventional in a style that pretty much everyone brews to the same standard, but still approachable enough for those unsure of drier or more robustly hoppy ales, i think they did a nice job with this overall, a hoppier amber that still doesnt even approach that red ipa realm, more hop flavor than bitterness, but less residual sugar and traditional balance for the style, with more of a kilned and toasted malt aspect than a long cooked, concentrated, caramelized, or sugary one, which i think is a nice call. a slightly richer color to this, brick red, deeper than most, with a nice shine to it and a good head as well, off white and lasting, high with irregular peaks and a creaminess about it. aroma and flavor are still grain driven, with a cool earthy nuttiness, traces of toffee, almond, and minerals, but not the long sweetness a lot of these have. the hops start a little herbal in the nose but drift into a more bitter orange and juniper direction later on in the taste, climaxing pretty late but never turning very bitter, and retaining a cool freshness. there is nice back and forth through the beer between the two sides, and they get along the whole time. the fermentation profile is pretty clean on this, no intentional yeast character it doesnt seem, and almost dry for the style. medium bodied, every so slightly metallic at the end, but it warms up pretty well. solid offering here, probably perfect in an emerging beer market like this where folks are over their yellow beer but maybe not quite onto the wild ales and such yet, smart recipe and good execution, well selected hops too!

 

 

 

Poured from growler into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours deep amber color bordering on brown with a one finger head of fizzy white foam. The head fades rather rapidly, leaving just a trace of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the beer is heaviest of a roasted malt aroma with some other lighter notes of caramel and molasses. Along with these smells comes some aromas of a little bit of a woody small as well as a bit of a nutty smell.

Taste – The taste begins with a nice hit of a roasted malt taste with some more bready like flavors mixed within. Upfront it is a bit on the drier side, but gains some taste of a caramel and molasses taste as the taste advances getting to their maximum toward the end of the taste. Along with the increase in the sweet, so too comes some lighter hop flavors of an earthy and woody nature along with some nutty tastes. With some more toast like tastes coming at the very end, one is left with a moderately sweetened and rather roasty (for an amber ale at least) flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the slightly thinner side for the 5.6 % abv. of the brew with it containing a carbonation level that is rather average to a little bit lighter. For the style it is decent as it is just big enough for the roast and nut, all while making for a rather easy drinking feel overall.

Overall – A pretty decent brew. Nothing out of the world, but for a gluten free beer this one really scores quite high and makes for a rather good drinker overall.