Fat Belly Amber
Montana Brewing Company

draught
Clear, medium chestnut, with a hint of gold at the edge of glass. Subtle aroma of candied wood? Soft, toasted malt/wood flavors, with a hint of sweetness.

IBU: 24

 

 

 

 

like liquid and slightly watered down bread pudding this one is, caramel and toffee and butter and all of it come from the malts here, no attempts to be dry, with an english ale yeast character and a high degree of residual sugar. bittering hops balance it well though, so the beer is robustly flavored. its darker in color, pushing deep copper, with a tall white lasting head in a big mug at the pub next door to the brewery. it goes down pretty easy for how sweet it is, largely attributable i think to the light body, almost too light for the flavors in this beer, it needs a little more texture. carbonation is fine though, and the beer still comes across pretty rich. a nice hearty take on the style, one of the better and more complete beers i have had from these guys.

 

 

 

 

 

A very nice dark amber ale with a smooth finish after the bread, caramel and slightly roasted dark malt flavors. Medium body and easy drinking. Good mouth feel, nice color and smell with the appropriate head for a 4 oz. sampler glass. Would be a nice session beer at 4.6% abv and 20 IBU.

 

 

 

had on-tap at the brewpub in downtown Billings. served in standard shaker "pint" glass.

a dark copper / amber color in the glass. not a strong aroma, just mild malt. same goes with the taste, it has a mild, balanced taste.
lower carbonation, with an average medium body.
good drinkability, as it would make a good session beer, at a decent price.

A: Pours a dark amber brown color. A one finger beige head forms, but recedes in an instant. Light lace is left behind.
S: Caramel malt and sweet. Light diacetyl not much in the nose.
T: Again, sweet caramel malt. Some light hops as the flavor lingers. The diacetyl character is almost gone.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Easy and smooth to drink. I can session this with no problem.

The beer list at the brewpub labels this as a Scottish Ale. It is decent, but not what I would expect for the style. Still, it is worth a try.

Wow, what an amber. Fuller than most, it's got a lot of really great malt flavor to it. It's not overly sweet, there are some slight hops in there balancing it all out. My favorite part is the appearance, it's a bit dark than I would stereotype. Carbonation is good, and I like the drinkability. Not too shabby.

On tap at the brewpub

A: dark, clear amber, not much lacing

S: citrusy caramel malt, not much really

T: slight roasted malt, some hop bitterness in the back, but again, not much

M: a little watery, but pretty crisp

D: alright, a little too subdued for the style

A: Pours a dark amber color, good sized head, slight lacing down the glass
S: Smell is sweet and malty. Also some fruity scents in there (grape/watermellon possibly)
T: Sweet and malty, same fruits as in smell. Slight woody hoppiness at the end.
M: Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Goes down very easy.
D: Excellent session beer, goes down easily, tasty and although I'm not sure what the ABV is, doesn't seem to be too high. Excellent amber.