Alleycat Amber Ale, Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe, Eureka California

A brewery that I do not have too often is the Lost Coast Brewery. Their beers are available with decent distribution throughout the west coast. Let's give their amber ale a try...

It pours a brilliant amber/copper with a decent sized tight head.

The aroma is dominated by caramel malt with a fair amount of sweetness.

The medium body holds caramel malt on the tongue. Mild hop bitterness is apparent in the body, as well. The sweetness arrives at the end, but does not dominate the beer. It is crisp on the tongue, but finishes smooth.

The aftertaste is caramel with hop bitterness winning out over the sweetness. A lingering biscuity malt leaves a nice flavor on the breath.

Though I am not the biggest fan of ambers, this one hold some interesting character without becoming too sweet or falling into blandness.

Cheers!

Amber Organic Ale, Fish Tale Brewery, Olympia Washington

Alright, so I'm not always excited by the more subtle ales out there. I tend to the more extreme in both ales and lagers, but still have respect for the other, less-extreme beers, as well. Tonight's Amber Ale brew comes from a brewery I am fond of, Fish Tale Brewery in Olympia, Washington.

It pours a cloudy amber with a thin head.

The aroma is mild hop with sweet malt. There is mild vanilla slightly detectable, as well.

The taste is hoppy and strong. It is mildly sweet, all-in-all, very well balanced. It has a medium body, not too sweet, not too bold.

The aftertaste is mild malt.

It is 5.5%.

So, it isn't bad at all - something that would probably be agreeable with any beer drinker - so good for a party. It would go well with several meals, as well.

Cheers!

Jazz Guy Ale, Rogue Brewery

Let's return to the Northwest with the Jazz Guy Ale by Rogue.

It pours a light amber hue, with not much head.

The aroma is very very light coffee, which seems unexpected due to it's relatively light color. This was a tough one for me to define, I could smell malt and yeast but beyond my expertise to put a finger on it exactly.

The taste is crisp initially, but has a full body - almost creamy flavor. It is hoppy, and seems to coat the cheeks a little. Again, slight coffee tones.

Aftertaste has a full florally finish. There seems to be something like caramel in there somewhere, but again tough to define...

I am looking forward to returning to this beer after my tasting knowledge has improved. From the bottle: "9 ingredients: Harrington & Klages, Cara Vienna, English 115 & 135 Crystal Malts; Cascade & Kent Golding Hops, Free Range Coastal Waters & Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast"

53 IBU & dedicated to Jazz Lovers!