Today it finally time to try my latest homebrews. First up was the beer that began as a clone of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, but was slightly modified to include some more caramel malts (making it amber), some left-over hops, and some dry hopping. The beer has been brewed with Maris Otter, Light Crystal, and Dark Crystal malt, and hopped with Warrior, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Simcoe to an IBU of around 44. This should be a very hoppy beer, that am really looking forward to trying!
| Homebrew American Amber Ale | |
|---|---|
| Appearance |    |
| The beer pours with a hazy amber color, and forms a slight off-white colored head, that quickly collapses leaving slight lacing along the glass. | |
| Smell | |
| The aroma is floral and fruity, with tones of grapefruit and tropical fruits. There is a slight caramelly sweetness hiding in the background. A slight mead-like aroma as well, that seems to be present in most of my homebrews. | |
| Taste | |
| The flavor begins with some caramel and maltiness, that is joined by a grassy, floral and citrusy hop flavor, and finally ends in a slight bitterness to tickle the tongue. The flavors merge very well, and I feel the beer seems well balanced. I felt that there could have been a bit stronger flavors, but otherwise I am pleasantly surprised. | |
| Mouthfeel | |
| The beer has a smooth and medium-full body, and a moderate-low carbonation level. This was really easy to drink, and I would have only wished slightly more carbonation (but that's my own fault). | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Overall a good beer, that still suffered a bit from the 'homebrew syndrome', meaning it lacked a bit of flavors, had the hazy look, and a slight mead-like aroma. The flavors went well together, and hopefully my beers will improve with each batch. | |