Charleville Tornado Alley Amber Ale

Brewed by Charleville Vineyard & Microbrewery
Style: Amber Ale
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Location: 22 oz bottle from Colonial Wine and Spirits, 10/10/11

Aroma: The nose has notes of caramel, some toast, yeast, nuts, and a little bit of spice too
Appearance: Pours a clear caramel-brown color with a thick, foamy -off-white head and heavy lace
Flavor: The taste is mildly sweet, malty, and unfortunately, the finish is a little on the soapy side
Palate: The body is light (leaning toward medium), with a similarly soapy mouthfeel and an average carbonation
Overall Impression: I wasn’t overly impressed here. This was not a great beer by any means. It looks nice, it is drinkable enough, and the nose is fine, but that soapiness is what throws it off for me. Otherwise it would have been a fine beer, but that displeasingness has to hurt the score.

Pours a clear amber with a pretty substantial off white head. Nice roasted malt and fresh hop flower aroma. Interesting sweet caramel malt and blackstrap molasses taste, along with a little tartness and mild hop character. Very good. BTW, this ale is 5.6% ABV and 30 IBU.

22 ounce bottle
It has been too long since I was able to try releases from this hidden brewery in the heart of Missouri. While their beers are nothing special they are affordable and easy to find - the complete opposite of the white whale that can never live up to expectations. Hopefully it won’t be two more years before I get another bomber or two.

Aroma / Appearance - The carbonation pops like a bowl of rice crispies. Over the transparent ruby body a film of ivory head floats like wave caps. Honey wheat, dashes of cherry, dusty books left in the rain, and soft hops are not remarkable. Even so it leaves enough of a trace to inspire a closer look.

Flavor / Palate - Yeast infested summer iced tea lightens the mood. A malty finish has a trace of simple hops without overdoing anything. A solid sessionable amber ale this is just what you would expect from looking at it - a low key beer from off the beaten path. For the price tag my demands were not much higher.

Bottle- Pours a deep amber color with a good head and nice lacing. Aroma of malt sweetness, caramel, with a hint of nut and dark fruit. Taste of malt with some caramel sweetness, hint of dark fruit, nuts. Has a nice mild bitterness and a clean finish. Medium body, smooth with a good balance. Enjoyable beer that goes down easy. Worth visiting again sometime.

A dark, amber-brown pour with a big, foamy tan head. The aroma is sugary sweet with caramel and some light bread. The medium body has a slick texture with average carbonation. The taste is very sweet, a little too much.

Sample from beerfest. Poured a deep amber color with a smaller head. Aroma was caramel, malts, brown sugar and molasses. Flavor was deep canides, sweeter malts, caramel, and some metallic earthy flavors. Kind od thin and watery body. Something just didn’t add up on this one. Just below average.

Tasted from bottle into standard pint glass. Poured a deep amber color (despite the brewer’s description, mine wasn’t at all red) with fluffy white head, somewhat persistent, no lace. Aromas and flavors were true-to-style for a basic amber ale. Hops weren’t very noticeable, but enough bitterness to balance a very malty beer. Lots of caramel, nutty and fruity. Medium body with creamy and bubbly mouthfeel. Long lasting malty-sweet aftertaste. Lacked complexity but very drinkable. A good "pizza beer."

bottle... dark amber, more copper than amber in the center, no head... the aroma is not very good, light caramel, sweet and dirty musky finish... tastes awful, weird grainy coffee mixed with wort, very thin... pass

The 22 oz bottle came courtesy of Strykzone, IT pours a rich amber color with a decent sized tan head and moderate lacing. Nose is caramel malt sand some floral hops. Medium body and a lively carbonated mouthfeel. Flavor is roast caramel malts ands some spicy overtones. Light bitter finish. Pretty decent overall for the style.

Bottle. A sweet, caramel aroma. Similar taste, very weighty beer. Not in a full bodied sense flavor-wise, but more-so filling. It’s a sinker in your gut, and the abv (has a weak taste, no real booze burn) and taste don’t stack up for it. Chalky taste overall, for an amber it’s pretty mediocre. At least the price is acceptable. Not sure on abv.