Dr. Hops Amber Ale
Idaho Brewing Company

Dark golden hue with excellent clarity. Thin, frothy ivory white head leaves rough lace. Whiff of mild toasted malt combined with a floral hop kiss upfront in aroma. Buttery undertone surfaces as the beer warms. Hint of green apple tartness. Rather underwhelming aromawise. In flavor, malt character is of dilute, medium lovibond caramel and sweet biscuit. Devoid of esters, although trace acetaldehyde tartness can be discerned. Mellow, pleasant butterscotch presence. Subdued woody hop flavor. Mildly bittered, with balance slightly skewed towards residual sweetness. Meak in body, with a vapid, barely viscous mouthfeel. Finishes mostly clean, with quickly fading buttery cracker hints. A rather prosaic amber that fits the bill as a session brew, but is too shallow in overall character to be savored. OK.

Had never heard of this brewery before, but one of my roommates bought some back from Driggs. Pours a copperish amber with a medium-sized white head. Smells of tangy hops over subtle fruity malts. There's a good, solid fruity malt presence in the taste, followed by very tangy, tart hops. Finish is acidic and bitter. A little too tart for my likes.

Pours a deep amber color with a creamy white head that fades into a semi-sticky lace. Nose is sweet caramelized malts and floral hops with just a touch of fruit. Medium in body and fairly smooth in texture. Taste is toasted malt and a bit of iced tea followed by some pungent fruity esters and a good amount of bitter hops; however, some residual malt sweetness expresses itself in the aftertaste. Thanks to my friend (and hopefully future BA) Sasquatch for the sample!