Avenue A Amber
Territorial Brewing Company

 

This beer was the 2nd to last beer in my flight during a recent trip to Territorial, and one that I had to try due to my penchant for ambers. This beer features an orangish amber hue that leans slightly more towards true amber. The clarity is hazy in appearance, but not cloudy. The head is an off-white color and is frothy, while being ever so slightly creamy. The head dissipates slowly to a thin lacing. 4/5 The aroma is malty and sweet, just like it should be. Rich caramel and honey really come out strongly and are back up by a grassy hop note. The aroma is much more sweet than hoppy but the hops are still noticeable. Toasted whole wheat bread comes out as well as an undertone to the aforementioned notes. 4.25/5 The sweetness of the flavor is not near as strong as the aroma with there being only a light caramel note up front and toasted wheat bread backing it up. There is a bit of dark stone fruit that comes out as an undertone, but only slightly. The hop profile is grassy in nature and features more prominently than in the aroma but there is next to no bitterness and no lingering bitterness. 3.75/5 This beer is medium bodied in stature and smooth/creamy throughout with a nice full tongue coating. There is virtually no drying and no lingering dryness. 4/5 This is a very good amber overall, but the flavor was not quite what I expected based on the aroma. I was expecting more sweetness due to the aroma, but instead the sweetness seemed to be cut and replaced with more of a hop profile. Not that the flavor was bad, it was just unexpected. Simple and straightforward aromas and flavors. 4/5