Rollick Amber Lager
Pyramid Breweries, Inc.

Rollick Amber LagerRollick Amber Lager
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From:
Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Lager
ABV:
6%
Score:
78
Avg:
3.27 | pDev: 16.82%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
28
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 05, 2017
Added:
Feb 09, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by IgotsHops:
Photo of IgotsHops
Reviewed by IgotsHops from Washington

2.08/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Proposed "Amber" "Lager." Appearance did not show any signs of "amber." Only showed a rich blonde at best. Although brilliantly clear and good head retention, this should never have claimed to be an amber.
Smelled of sulfur and vinegar at first, like dying easter eggs. Some malty sweetness up front, and a slight promise of crystal malt. The smell tips me off that this was poorly fermented, wrong pitching and fermenting temperature. (too warm.)
Tasted very sweet, but not cloyingly so. The taste was the best part about this beer, but I barely got to it since the smell was so off-putting. The "amber" part of the description is somewhat validated with some medium to dark kilned malt and nice malty sweetness. Too many esters and hot alcohols for a lager. At best I would imagine this would be a hybrid style.
Mouthfeel was overly thick and left an incredible slickness on the tongue. Immediately I thought of poor fermentation practices and an abundance of diacetyl. My teeth and tongue fought against each other to try and clean the slickness off. This beer should have finished clean.
Overall, it was barely drinkable. Taste was mediocre, but the smell and mouthfeel made it impossible for me to drink more. For someone with a few other beers in his/her gullet, this could pass as a palatable brew. Not for me, and I have lost some faith in the knowledge and promise of Pyramid Brewing.
Mar 29, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.4 by poisoneddwarf from Idaho

Jun 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by Hopheadjeffery from Illinois

Aug 02, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by ROGUE16 from Delaware

Dec 05, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by twelveinches from Washington

Nov 28, 2011
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

2.55/5  rDev -22%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #26:

Pale amber color, filtered clarity. Decent lacing all around, it does stick to the glass, which is nice to see. The aroma runs from wild herbs to mild sulphur, to biscuity grain and dried hay. Slick, medium-sized body lends some smoothness from the carbonation. Prickly, spicy hop bitterness shakes the palate and does not want to let go, to the point of being almost bothersome as it drops a mild soapy flavor on the taste buds. Malt comes in mostly dry with a quick kiss of light caramel, then it is all down to dry biscuity and grainy flavors. Husky, animal feed grain, which mixes with the semi-harsh hop bitterness and seems to feign an astringent quality middle to end. Quick breath of alcohol in the dry, puckering finish.

No real balance here, the Summit hops take over with the husky graininess, and it is endgame. We love hops, but it's so out of whack that it is a chore to drink. Being reckless with high alpha hops can work out great with some styles; unfortunately, it does not work at all here.
Sep 20, 2010
Photo of Psilo707
Reviewed by Psilo707 from Korea (South)

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Dark, orange/brown color when poured into mug. Nice head, looking decent. Smells colorful as well, I usually like the way the Pyramid brew's hit the nose.

Taste is absolutely mediocre. Very sharp immediately, no real flavor to it. No uniqueness. A bit of a sting in the mouth after the initial downing. Not too impressed, seems like standard beer.

Mouthfeel is too active, too crisp. It doesn't leave you with much.

Probably the worst beer by Pyramid I've tried myself. I don't find any appeal.
Aug 19, 2009
Photo of bboven
Reviewed by bboven from Texas

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Light, dull brown colored body. Clear with only thin patches of head and no lacing.

Big grainy, tannic aroma. Very sharp, a little stale/burnt.

Not a whole lot too the flavor, mostly a bitterness at the very end; if anything just a slight husky grain taste.

Clean, crisp, highly carbonated mouthfeel.

This beer is a bit off. For the price of craft beer, I won't buy it again, but I wouldn't tun one away, I suppose.
Aug 09, 2009
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Rollick is more than just another average amber ale. It's actually much more. It's got a firm malt body, a good dose of hop flavor, and a solid bitterness.

It appears just like a standard amber ale, although the copper body is slightly darker than you might normally expect (at around 12-13 SRM), and its creamy "antique" white head holds well and leaves some nice lacing about the glass.

The aroma is also pretty much what you'd expect with notes of toasted malt and hints of caramel backed by some floral and grassy hops.

The flavor, however, is a different story. It really is a bigger beer than you'd normally encounter, and I guess the 6% abv indicates that as well (I didn't notice that on the label, but it's there). It starts malty with a healthy dollop of lightly sweetish dark-caramel and scorched sugar that's backed by spicy and grassy hops. Across the middle those hops rise to become the focus, and then shine brightly in the drying finish. Residual bitterness lingers, and it's dry and spicy with just a little bit of grassiness and a smear of the caramelish malt that came before.

Nicely done! As a spring beer, this kind of reminds me of a bock in a way, which would be traditional in Germany. So here is our Americanized version. :) Worth trying.
Jun 03, 2009
Photo of skunkworker
Reviewed by skunkworker from Maryland

3.27/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Appearance is presentable, with a nice red/orange hue in a glass from a bottle. Rising carbonation lasts for a good while.

No head to speak of with the typical foam ring around the glass.

Well blended smell consisting of hops and caramel with almost a touch of peat.

Sharp bitter taste initially however after some curry the beer actually improved in flavor. Strong enough to give a fair refreshing taste after a strong spicy dish, which improved my opinion of the beer.

Mouthful is nothing remarkable and overall average for a lager.

Probably a good beer after wings or bbq.
May 31, 2009
Photo of oberon
Reviewed by oberon from North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Poured a lighter amber shade with a thinner but pretty well sustained white head,aromas were of sweetish bread dough with some iron,toasted malt,and a hint of spicy hop.Mouthfeel is pretty light,a little to light for my taste.Flavors are not that bad there is a decent marzen-like feel to it,crisp and lightly sweet with some caramel showing thru,it has some doughiness to it thats traditional,the hops come late lending some spice to the finish.I liked it better than most,its a well made lager beer much like a fest or marzen,my only complaint is the thin feel.
May 28, 2009
Photo of HalfFull
Reviewed by HalfFull from California

3.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass, pours a clear deep golden with a soapy half inch of slightly off white head. Offers decent head retention and lacing but seems a bit light in color.

Bit of hops and some caramel malts on the nose, more so with some warming. Clean lager yeast nose otherwise.

A perky carbonation accompanies some simple sweet malts. Just a hint of what would direct me to the Oktoberfest style and rather light in body. Called an Amber Lager on the label and seems more accurately as such. Not much bitterness but a light bit of chalkiness on the swallow and a decent lingering finish.

Viewed as an Amber/Red Lager
May 08, 2009
Photo of aforbes10
Reviewed by aforbes10 from Iowa

2.32/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Single from the Davis Co-Op. Pours a yellow-orange with a trifling white bubble-covering that doesn't quite seem worthy of being called a head. Nose is mildly malty, hint of grass, very unassertive. Flavor is malt-forward for the style, dry and grainy, with a hint of caramel sweetness and a little touch of vegetal hop. Dry throughout, with a bit of an astringent, bitter bite on the finish that doesn't help matters. Thin to medium bodied. I would not seek this one out again, just too pedestrian with some characteristics that i can do without.
Apr 20, 2009
Photo of mithrascruor
Reviewed by mithrascruor from California

3.8/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a nice clear dark amber color. Slightly off-white head is good, leaving a bit of lacing and lasting a while.

Smell: Lots of nice spicy malts. Has a bit of caramel sweetness and some hops in there too.

Taste: Has a malty taste with sweet spices. But towards the finish there's some hops that come in; the finish and aftertaste are definitely a nice mix of spicy hops (mildly bitter) and the slightly sweet spicy malts. Could've done with a bit less hops in the aftertaste, but still nice.

Mouthfeel: Light- to medium-bodied; smooth with light carbonation.

Drinkability: Nice to drink, would work well as a session beer.

A solid offering from Pyramid; goes to show that their seasonals are better than their regular offerings! I'll get this again, I'm sure.

My only confusion is that this is labeled as an Amber beer, when it is certainly something a bit different... and late winter/early spring doesn't seem like the best time to release this. Hey Pyramid, you should've done this as an autumn beer!
Apr 17, 2009
Photo of froghop
Reviewed by froghop from Washington

2.88/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
pours a clear pale light amber with an orange tint, a small egg-shell head, and good lacing.

smell is of grain, few malts, touch of citrus, some fruit, and ends with a little floralness.

taste is crisp, yet smooth, a little hop kick to it, some grain, some citrus, and light on the sweet malts, ends with a little bitterness.
Apr 17, 2009
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.43/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This amber lager isn't amber at all, it's bright orange with nothing on the interior except a handful of rapidly rising bubbles. The ecru colored crown is decent enough and is leaving passable looking lace. In the end... barely better than average.

The nose is an odd one. It smells both earthy and funky fruity, which isn't an outstanding combination. I thought lager yeast was supposed to be fairly clean. It's highly doubtful that these... uh, interesting... aromas are coming from malt or hops.

Rollick is okay beer that is saved from being less than okay by a fairly generous amount of Summit and Tettnang hops. At first, I thought the label said 'a generous quantity of hops', but it actually says 'a gracious quantity of hops'. Whatever that means. A polite amount rather than a rollicking amount?

Marzen isn't too far off the style mark in terms of malt-derived flavor, but Amber Lager is an amber lager because Pyramid says it is. Besides, who brews an Oktoberfest spring seasonal? There's a fair amount of Munich malt present, which lends a toasted-earthy-nutty-woody character that I've never loved.

Thankfully, the hops provide a considerable smack of mid-mouthful and finishing bitterness (drink it fresh!) and a fair amount of flavor as well. Too bad these two hop varieties, alone or in combination, have never floated my boat. What this brew needs is some good Pacific NW hops. You know, those that probably grow within spitting distance of the brewery.

Mouthfeel is the beer's best attribute by far. It's impressively full for the style and the ABV. It's also glassy smooth despite a bit of alpha acid rawness (the good kind). It all comes back to generous ingredients and perfectly dialed-in carbonation.

Pyramid has never impressed me. Most of what they brew is forgettable (it must be, since I can't recall what any of it tastes like). With the possible exception of Thunderhead India Pale Ale, another hoppy one, Rollick Amber Lager is their best offering. Maybe they use hops to cover flaws. It sure tastes like it.
Apr 01, 2009
Photo of jkdrummer
Reviewed by jkdrummer from Washington

2.23/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Who's bright idea was this? Expecting something different just by its name, Amber Lager but ended up almost pouring this one down the sink. No aroma just blah. Some carb but blah. Not even amber. Almost like a poor Bud. This just about came close to ruining lagers in general for me. God awful. C'mon Pyramid, what are you guys thinking? How about a nice creamy Scotch ale next time? Give up on making any more lagers please.
Mar 30, 2009
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.38/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Amber Lager for a Spring release huh? The beer fares pretty well with a bright hoppiness and a richer caramel flavor.

The beer opens with the look of an Amber beer or Oktoberfest. An average head forms on the beer and then reduces to a steady film and remains. Light lacing on the glass. A light haze (perhaps from dry-hopping?).

Aromas are caramelly with a hint of butterscotch. Very light hopping barely makes a presence. Lagering keeps the fruitiness and spiciness at bay.

Flavors begin as malty-caramelly as the nose promises, but then develops into a medium malty rich taste. Hopping begins to rise with a light piney, grassy taste that I can't tell if it is an attribute to the beer or a deterant.

Soft, malty textures are abruptly interrupted at mid-palate with an aggressive hop bitterness. The hop bite does clean the beer up a bit and gives it a crisp, snappy finish, but is probably overkill. Hop bitterness dominates well into the finish.

I appreciate a better hopped Amber. But the hops seem to be out of proportion on the bittering end, where I'd prefer to see a bit more hop flavor, aroma, and complexity. Also, the lagering keeps the complex esters and phenols from developing, thus leaving the beer yearning for depth. The beer is caught somewhere in no-man's land-- between an Amber Ale and a Marzen.
Mar 18, 2009
Photo of MtVernon
Reviewed by MtVernon from Washington

4.27/5  rDev +30.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Wow. I'm very, very impressed with this one. I'm not normally into 'bitter' beers, and this is one, but this is SO well balanced with just the right amount of malt that the beer goes down a true delight.

Taste and mouthfeel are both Outstanding. With a capital "O".

Seattle is doing some really good things these days, and beer is no exception.

This one has a long, lingering aftertaste of bitter hops balanced by a sweet maltiness that is much more subtle. There's beautiful, maple syrup like quality to it. I don't know how else to describe it. Tastes very crisp, clean, but RICH and woodsy.

I will definitely get this one again!
Mar 14, 2009
Photo of Halcyondays
Reviewed by Halcyondays from California

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. bottle, bought at Hi-Times,

A: Pours a very light amber, almost pils colour. Full white head with excellent retention, lots of sticky lace.

S: Surprisingly hoppy. Dry and grassy hop nose, 1-dimensional.

T: Mild malt taste, very wheaty at times, unfiltered taste. Bit of sulfur in there too, not a very clean lager. Taste is not bad, not terribly consistent, some sips I liked more than others.

M: Light carbonation, dry, resiny. Light-bodied.

D: An OK lager from Pyramid, pretty much middle of the road. A drinkable session brew, inexpensive, but don't expect the next big thing.
Feb 25, 2009
Rollick Amber Lager from Pyramid Breweries, Inc.
Beer rating: 78 out of 100 with 28 ratings