Drop Top Amber
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

Easy drinking - great with a meal

I had this beer on a Widmer Brewery tour in 2006.
On tap in pitchers it has a dark amber color and smells very malty with a hint of baked bread. It drinks clean and really smoothly and is relatively sweet. Malting is sweet and caramely. The hops have a tea accent and it has a crispness to it and kind of a fast finish with that tea/hops twang at the end. Pretty good ale.

This is a simple amber ale from the Pacific Northwest. Widmer Brothers maintains consistent quality, and this is a reliable, albeit no frills, ale that I find particularly satisfying during the Summer when it is hottest. It pairs well with BBQ and general pub foods and is a favorite of mine during backyard cookouts. It is a bit sweet, so it should be avoided by those who do not care for sweet ales; however, it is not what I would consider overly sweet. Its simplicity is what I love about it.

On tap at Bouy 9 Bar & Grill - Hammond, OR while enjoying pretty good fish & chips

Look: Crystal clear amber with a decent-looking slightly off-white head that settles to a nice lid of foam and leaves good lacing behind
Aroma: Caramel, some toffee, toasted cereal grains, warm bread, a sweet malt note, and some fruity esters in the background
Taste: Sweet malt, bread, and caramel come on first with some toasted grain notes soon joining in. Toffee and light fruit notes enter the mix and these all mingle until the caramel and bread take charge and lead to the slightly sweet finish
Mouthfeel: Full, soft and clean throughout, medium-high carbonation, and soft and silky on the finish
Overall: I dig it. A true classic in the Pacific Northwest and still a solid and well-made amber ale. I honestly never knew they used lactose in this but it explains why I’ve always thought it was silkier, smoother, and sweeter than most ambers – a unique twist for sure. Nothing crazy here, just a tasty amber that’s reasonably priced and easy to find

1 month old bottle poured into a pint glass. The color is a standard amber orange. The head was very disappointing, bad retention and almost no lacing or soapyness, and the carbonation is also weak. The nose is a unremarkable normal amber, nutty and malty. The mouthfeel finish is balanced, not dry or wet, with a oddly thin body. The taste is sour citrus melding into a classic amber nutty, sweet bread and biscuit finish that lingers reasonably long with some faint carmel tones.

This is a very drinkable and passable amber, but I have had considerably better beer of this style in the past. I would buy this to impress your light beer drinking friends, but not much beyond that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amber copper color with a thick beige head with short retention and apparent carbonation.
Mild malty aroma with notes of biscuit and caramel malt, a bit of herbal hops and butterscotch.
Flavor with notes of caramels, earthy and floral hops, minerals, some spices, American yeast, toffee, sprinkle of onion powder and berries. Dry aftertaste with a mild bitterness.
Light body with appropriate carbonation.
Slightly below average American Amber Ale focusing on malt complexity. I found it too bland with muffled hops and drifting away from style.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle poured into a pint glass

A: Pours a clear amber, copper, rust color with an off white, no lacing nor head retention, looks thin.

A: Subtle aromas of caramel, toffee, butterscotch, touch of honey in the finish.

T: First impression, very smooth and easy to drink, caramel, toffee, low bitterness in the middle, finish has a nice balance of biscuit and honey malt, aftertaste is malty.

M: Light bodied with a slight dry finish, good amount of carbonation, very smooth and easy to drink.

O: Enjoyed this one, could use some more punch in the aroma and flavor, I'd bump up the score but it has subtle aromas and flavors, I could see myself having this with a cheeseburger, seems like it would pair well with red meat.