Big Wheel Deluxe Amber
Amsterdam Brewery

 

 

 

 

Pours a clean copper with a thick light beige head and lasting lacing. Some floral hops in the scent with yeast and a slight alcohol hiding at the end. After the appearance and scent the taste is a bit of a let down, a bit more “average” than the curb appeal led me to believe. Has a light feel and good level of carbonation for the style.

Draft 20oz pint at the Amsterdam Brewhouse in Toronto. Nice copper color with creamy cap. Very soft beer and very Brit. Could drink this all day and night. Great malt, great hop balance. Carmelly and grassy. Not exceptional but very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly much more flavourful in the can or on tap compared with their green bottles. A fairly standard Amber ale that can appeal to craft and macro drinkers alike. There are much better beers in this style, the macrobrewed Boreal Rousse for one, but it goes down smooth and is rather inoffensive and agreeable.

If you're going to buy this though, I'd recommend going to the brewery if you're in Toronto; at $32.95 for a 25 pack (yes 25 not 24) you really can't do much better (the blonde is also the same price fyi)

Average "off-the-tap" pint. Quite a few local spots have it as a standard (instead of crud like Coors light). It's non-invasive to the palate, so the macro crowd can handle it. Decent flavour, good creamy head. Solid pint.

Appearance: Brownish amber colour. Had about one quarter of a finger of head which which dissipated really quickly. Little bit of lacing on the glass. Overall, not a very attractive brew.

Smell: very nice actually. I'm getting sweet toffee, floral hops, bit of breadiness on the back end. Very nice aroma to this beer.

Taste: Not too too much going on here. Sweet toffee like the nose. Has a grassiness to it that you find in a lot of American macro lagers. There is a slight bitter citrusy hop character on the back end, but you have to look for it. Big wheel would be a good session beer, which I think they were aiming for in the first place.

Feel: Light, crisp, good carbonation. Relatively dry finish.

I wish that I could give this beer a score between 3.25 and 3.5 in "overall". It is sessionable and tastes fine, there just isn't much going on with it. I'd even say the beer has an above average aroma. I'd recommend this beer as a gateway into more flavourful options. If you want to move away from the macros, Big Wheel would be a good, simple option to start at. It is well balanced and there is nothing offensive about it, so I think I'll give it a 3.5 overall.