Sherlock's Colleen's Amber Ale
Big Rock Brewery

1L, 'oopsy' howler from Sherbrooke Liquor store, they of the habit of inadvertently holding onto licensees' unused stock. Anyways, this is the house brew for the Sherlock Holmes chain of pubs in Alberta, and until recently was produced by Hog's Head, who are now no more, and thus it seems to have fallen to Big Rock to pick up the slack.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium bronzed amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, broadly foamy, and somewhat fizzy off-white head, which leaves a few instances of stalagmite growth lace around the glass as things slowly abate.

It smells of semi-sweet, bready and biscuity caramel malt, a touch of wan toffee pudding, mixed apple, pear, and citrus flesh notes, a bit of indistinct licorice, and plain leafy and floral hop bitters. The taste is generally sweet caramel/toffee malt, some muddled pome and drupe fruitiness, a hint of wet breakfast biscuit (Timmie's or Rotten Ronnie's, either would suffice), and some very tame earthy, leafy, and dead grassy hoppiness.

The carbonation is good and fresh, what with its frothy and fizzy twin barrels of fun, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, nothing really evident here to make much of a fuss. It finishes well off-dry, the fading biscuity character of the otherwise still heady caramel malt perhaps not boding overly well for the concept of sessionability, even if the 9-proof (I just wanted to write it that way) booze already lays claim to that.

Overall, not a bad Canadian amber ale, the lack of overt hoppiness easy enough to dismiss when the malt is mildly complex and interesting, rather than bordering on sour and unpleasant. I can't believe it - two Big Rock brews in a row tonight, and I've nothing bad or snarky to say about either of them. My Mom's gentle admonitions would have been proud.