Double Maple Amber Ale
Old Yale Brewing Co.

650ml bottle, from, sigh, yes, Wine & Beyond - it seems to be a Liquor Depot exclusive around here at the moment.

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick amber colour, with four fingers of puffy, chunky, and somewhat bubbly beige head, which leaves some streaky, broadly webbed lace around the glass as it slowly but surely dissipates.

It smells of biscuity maple candies, grainy and doughy caramel malt, a mild citrus and stone fruitiness, some muddled earthy spice, and maybe a hint of warm woodiness. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, a much lessened woody maple sap character, some apple and underripe pear fruity esters, minor Yuletide spice notes, and a small sense of earthy, weedy, and musky floral green hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its frolicking frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and mostly smooth, just a wee acrid woody thing taking the sheen off of things here. It finishes trending dry, the maple seeming kind of bled out, while the wood and plain malt try to make the best of the lingering day.

Overall, this one starts off strong, with some enticing and complex maple aromas, but then fades a little too quickly to a banal, wood-treated amber ale. Not a bad brew, per se, but I would have very much liked a more consistent (I can't believe I'm saying this) sweet maple profile.