American Amber Ale
Brewsters Brewing Company & Restaurant - Eleventh Avenue

A- Impressive two full finger golden/yellow/cream colored head covers the dark bronze hued beer. The head shows decent retention, eventually settling down to a thick layer over top the liquid, and lacing is equally nice, with a solidly even layer of foam clinging to the inside of the glass. The brew itself, is clear, and small, lumbering columns of carbonation rise to the top in uniform fashion.

S- Aromatic caramel/toffee malt aromas are balanced out by subdued notes of pine needles, some citrus rind (Think orange and pomelo and perhaps some tart grapefruit. The finish leans towards a bready, yeasty tone and maybe even a little syrupy....wonder if there was any malt syrup used here?

T- Overall this is sweeter than the aroma let on and not as well balanced as I would want out of this style. Plenty of caramel/toffee/molasses sweetness, brewers yeast, vanilla creme, and perhaps some nuances of citrus zest, but I don't find it very balancing at all. The finish is flabby on the palate and the caramel definitely lingers in a bit of a clodding manner.

M/O- Medium bodied and relatively smooth carbonation make this easy enough to drink, and maybe when at a Brewsters pub this would be better served with some grub, but otherwise I'm a little underwhelmed by this one, and I generally like the offerings by these guys. It needs to be less sweet and more refreshing on the palate....

American Amber Ale - the May seasonal (even though it is now June) offering, with a whack of hops (Centennial, Cascade and Magnum) added to the mix, coming in at 36 IBUs, or so says their marketing.

This beer arrives on the bar in a fluted pint glass, and appears a clear, bright medium amber hue, with a thin cap of off-white head, which disappears in an instant, leaving the expected thin streams of almost imperceptible lace around the glass. It smells of sweet caramel toffee malt, bitter grapefruit juice and orange rind, and a strong pine hoppiness. The taste is more sweet bready caramel malt, orange cream, a bit of that Brewsters house yeast, and bitter pine hops. The carbonation is average, the body medium weight and zingy, the smoothness fighting through. It finishes edgy, zippy, and clean, the pine hops prevailing.

Wow. Brewsters seems on the verge of dispelling their rep as a purveyor of German-style lagers and ales, what with the recent American IPA added to their regular lineup, and now this. Strongly reminiscent of the San Diego way, this is the real deal, hoppy as hell, with a nice subtle, but also substantial, malt backbone. Keep 'em comin'!