Bloomington Ruby Bloom Amber Ale

Brewed by Bloomington Brewing Co.
Style: Brown Ale
Bloomington, Indiana USA

Serve in Dimpled mug

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Clear copper body with beige head. Aroma is very mild, just a bit of caramel. Taste is medium sweet, nutty, some chocolate, light caramel, minimal bitterness. Smooth, light-medium body.

Tap at Columbus Bar. Toffee malt and light pepper aroma. Dark amber with small head. Sweet caramel malt and peppery hops flavor. Different - definitely more spice than the typical brown ale.

On tap at brewpub
Moving on I next tried a decent amber ale that captivated my interest much more. With a good balance between flavor and not going too overpowering it is an ideal session beer. Skip the cream ale and go straight to this if ordering a flight.

Aroma / Appearance - Dense and woody the body is even more reddish brown than pictured above. Caramel, red vines, and oak are heady after a few minutes.

Flavor / Palate - Caramel, copper, and red vines mask a latent wave of lazy carbonation. The chewy mouthfeel is like sucking on a half melted toffee. It also clings to the back of the throat like a piece of candy. Setting the bar just above average this is a respectable release that gives me optimism going forward.

On tap at the brewpub. Interestingly enough, this relatively blah style is where BBC has turned out one of their most satisfying brews. Granted, it’s nothing to write home about even still. Nice toasted malts and sweet notes of caramel, certainly understand why it’s designated a brown in the database. Mild bittering hops to liven things up, and a fairly brisk and satisfying presence overall.

On tap at Lennies / Bloomington Brewing Co on 14 March 2010. No ABV stated. Clear amber. Not much aroma. Clean but thin mouthfeel. Easy drinking. Light tangy hop. Rather more like an English bitter than a Brown Ale I thought.

draft at Mad Anthony Oktobeerfest - Pours amber with a small off-white head. The malt laden aroma has a mild fruity characteristic. The flavor is sweet and caramel rich with a touch of dark fruit. There’s minimal hops presence. This amber is pretty solid.

Medium amber in color, slight haze. A short creamy head which dissipated after a few sips. Caramel malt, some nuttiness, and minor amount of piney hops in the nose. Very creamy mouthfeel, medium in body, short finish. The flavor is malty and sweet balanced by a piney and leafy bitterness at the end. A solid amber ale. A good choice for a session.

Clear amber with a fleeting head. Spicy malty sweet caramel aroma. Medium body. Flavor is spicy sweet caramel, no hops, no roastiness, no big deal.

UPDATED: MAR 29, 2008 I had BBC Ruby Brown Amber Ale on draft at Yogi’s in Bloomington and again at Nick’s in Bloomington. This is my second favorite BBC ale, next to the Java Porter. This ale has a very nice copper color with a mild but nice aroma. The taste is nutty with hints of caramal and herbs. Like all BBC ale’s this has very minimal aroma.

Mild hop aroma. Fair malt flavor with a subtle hop quality that is brought out by the carbonation. Some qualities of grapefruit bitterness are present. Pours dark, clear, amber with a minor head. Moderate mouth feel.

Draught at the brewpub. We’re right in calling this a Brown Ale - definitely not an Amber. Cloudy mahogany/dark brown body. Smells...well...not really at all! Taste is light and caramelly, with some toffee and light butterscotch. Mf is sludgy, body full - too full for style. Astringent note muddied in the bg, just behind the light finishing hops. Somewhat playful, almost joyous - but nothing special.