Nevadan Amber
Able Baker Brewing Co.

 

 

a fine pint of amber here, of excellent quality and built out with enough specialty malts that its distinctive in a samey style space, and while its slightly sweet, its also a whole lot more than that, which to me immediately puts it up there with the best of these, really layered and subtly complex while still being a total drinker, cozy without being big, a session type beer for winter weather, loved it in that context, freshness was also impressive where we had it, prime form. a true amber in color, lighter than it actually tastes, deep copper with an inch of lasting white head from the tap and a nice shine, instantly looks polished and professional. the nose is toasted and bready before its sugary, biscuit, a fresh multigrain loaf, light toffee and maple, a kilned type warmth, dried red apple and raisin making it autumnal, lightly nutty too, earthen and ancient, rarely does an amber appeal to me at this level, but this is lovely, light sweetness, subtle fermentation character, clean though and easy. the flavor is nice, almost a granola thing, very light on the hops but a slowly unfurling grain flow thats just killer, light almond and hazelnut, deep grape character for its moderate color, some caramelization, some bran, wonderful freshness which is not usually something to notice in a basic amber. well refined, bright feeling with soft but ample carbonation, medium bodied but hearty enough, good minerality and it warms up favorably. on the surface just a basic amber, but this is nuanced and much better than most of its peers, a sneakily impressive offering...