American Amber Ale
Rohrbach Brewing Company (Brewpub)

 

This beer was served from the cask at The Old Toad in Rochester, NY. It arrived in a nonic glass at appropriate cask temperature, and shown an amber red-honey color. It had a one finger head of off-white cream that showed quite nice retention and gave thick battered lacing. No haze was present and carbonation appeared minimal. The largest component of the aroma was a sourdough yeasty quality, along with bready malts. This gave a musty air, not unlike the fumes wafting from an authentic British pub. Additionally, there was a thick woody character, much like a chardonnay, with further winey sweetness of grape. This sweetness was finally cut by a white wine vinegar. As we sipped, the taste opened up with wet grain and a mild sweetness. The woodiness really popped here, adding a fine bitterness to the flavoring. These were replaced by deeper chocolaty malts through the middle, with an alcohol presence seemingly acting to enhance the darkness of grain. We ended with more of those same malts, but these dropped off a ledge, petering out quickly into flavorless nothingness. The aftertaste breathed of bitter yeast, peppery spice, and a mild dry woodiness. The body was light and the carbonation was utterly nonexistent, giving us what was essentially a flat brew. Otherwise, the feel was soft and coating, with minimal slurp. Perhaps it was the flatness of the beer, but the feel was also a bit on the watery side. The abv was within range, and the beer drank on the slower end.

Overall, what we found to be best about this brew was the nose. It exhibited a nice woodiness. This was likely inherited from its time spent in the cask. This too could have led to a loss of carbonation, so perhaps it sat for just a little bit too long. Otherwise this is a nice local offering, and would be something we would be interested in trying again as an undeniably fresh sample.

Rohrbach American Amber Ale is clear and amber with a very slight, white film that almost fully dissipates and leaves decent lacing. It has a faint aroma of caramel and grassy hops. It's medium-light bodied with a pretty clean finish. It's lightly flavored with a touch of caramel and a light, grassy bitterness. After the swallow, the flavor multiplies. A sweetness is detected, along with wood resin. A bold, grassy bitterness lingers for a while. The bitterness at the end keeps me thirsty for more. I'm sure this growler won't get a chance to go flat.