Belmont Top Sail

Brewed by Belmont Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Long Beach, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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BUY THE SHIRT FOR THIS BEER IN BLACK VERY COOL. Pours a deep, rich chestnut hue, mostly clear within yet still resistant to light passing through. Topped by a thin, fine and creamy tan head, it leaves top-shelf lacing behind in the glass. Nose is on the light side, yet still shows some toasty malt characteristics with a mild, floral hoppiness. Body was a middle of the road medium, and was light on carbo, passing fairly smoothly over the tongue.Had some light caramel sweetness initially hitting the palate. Formed a decent base upon which some solid layers of hops were heaped. It was quite floral overall, with yummy fruity notes as well. The lupulins stick well in the mouth and are quite long-lasting. Hit the spot nicely...

A nice copper,amber color when poured.had a good hoppy flavor with a medium mouthfeel.The finish was slightly bitter as i noticed in most of their beers.

On Tap. Pours with a amber body and an off-white ring. Aroma of caramel and fruit. Taste is nutty (peanut shells) with fruit, light dark roasted notes and caramel. A bit too fizzy and thin on the mouth.

UPDATED: NOV 13, 2007 on draft at brewery, consumed on 11/12/07. Medium, cloudy amber color with nice carbonation. Aroma is malty with no detectable hops. Slightly astringent with good malt flavor, balanced with hoppy aftertatse. Nice, if unremarkable.

Color is pale amber with a small head. Toasted, biscuit malt balanced by bittering hops. Pretty well-rounded, but I guess I just wished something stood out more about this beer. To be honest this beer is a bit tought to recall in light of the fact that I tried their Hop Head Red afterwards, which blew it away.

Pale amber pour with a bit of head and some lacing. Solid malt flavors with a touch of hops to balance. Nice richness with earthy undertones. Pretty will made beer that is a solid performer, but nothing really stands out. I’d certainly put this on an order when I go there. this beer is a bit tought to recall in light of the fact that I tried their Hop Head Red afterwards, which blew it away.

Tap at the brewpub. Nice amber pour. Smooth malt taste with some toasted and caramel touches. Light malt aroma. Just ok.

Reddish amber hue, showing the clarity more of an amber lager. Aroma shows a mild nuttiness with faint malt and noticeable hops. A clean apple fruity malt drifts into a smooth slightly fizzy palate. Finishes out with a good level of bitterness and citrus in the aftertaste. A little too light in malts and body, but good hop properties. 

A little lighter orange than your standard amber. Strangely nearly devoid of aroma, but what is there is extremely faint toasted malt. Rather predictable caramel-malty flavor, but still nice and toasty, maybe some aromatic malt? Quite tasty, with a hint of herbal hops. Gradually building bitterness.

(22 oz bottle: Belmont Brewing Company in Long Beach, CA) The bottle was purchased and consumed brewery fresh, and frankly, while the beers I sampled at the brewpub were forgettable, this is not a bad little beer. Lightly malty and fairly sweet, with a very perfumy and mildly floral hoppiness, this beer could be better balanced for an amber ale, a style which if anything is often more balanced toward the malty end of the spectrum. Though more hoppy than malty, this beer is only mildly bitter, and most of that is in the finish. While this beer isn’t especially malty, there is a modest roastiness lurking in the background. The nose is very perfumy and fruity. Medium in body, with a well-carbonated palate that doesn’t inspire any thoughtful description. Dark amber in color and completely clear in appearance. One strong positive note is the light tan head, which pours to an inch in height, maintains a nice topping on the beer, and leaves some dense patches of lace. I guess in the end, this isn’t a bad beer, but it’s not all that great either. Needs more malt for the style, and the hops is too perfumy for me, and unfortunately, as the beer begins to warm from fridge temperature, these aspects are magnified.