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!

Great White, Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe, Eureka California

Our next beer comes from just down the coast a bit. I've been through Eureka many many times, but - and I can't explain why - I've never stopped off at the Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe. Next time...

Their "White Beer" offering is available in the 12oz bottles with fair regularity throughout the Northwest.

It pours an unfiltered very very light straw color with a thin tight head.

The aroma is Blonde Ale-ish, light yeast and mild general spice.

It is fairly crisp in the light body. Coriander is big right away, then some milder spice tones arrive in the finish. The yeast carries all the way through, balancing out the spices, except for the coriander, which stays bold. It has some nice orange/citrus tones that carry from the body into the finish as well.

The aftertaste is subtle general spice with the coriander still holding on. Mild yeast with the orange/citrus lingering nicely. A different kind of white beer than I've sampled recently - I didn't taste my favorite white pepper flavor that is at times apparent in White Ales, this one leans more toward the citrus side of things.

From the bottle, we learn that it is made with Two-Row malted barley, unmalted wheat and ale yeast.