Drakes Amber Ale

Brewed by Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
San Leandro, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Thanks Milo: Pours a deep filtered amber with a lacy white head. Aroma is biscuity, with toasted and caramel notes. English malts abound but pretty tame on the hops. Lite earthiness. Smells very much like the english beers of Dieu du Ciel (That’s a good thing!). The body is oh so smooth and rich for the style. The flavors are again, biscuity, with a nice caramel roundness, and an excellent yeast character, not too much, just enough esters to make things interesting. Exceedingly well balanced and probably the best "Amber" I have had. Maybe more of an English Pale. Oh well, tastes authentic to me.

12 oz bottle. Another great brew by Drakes. Nice smell, perfect amber/red color, lots of lacing, with a big head. Lots of hops, malt, with a little nuttiness. A beer I could drink everyday.

Dark golden color with red accents. Caramel scent predominant. Dominant caramel notes with a syrup sweet character of a fair amount of crystal malt. Lightly hopped with the malt in mind for the major flavors, as noted. Not an exceptional representation of this popular style, but this is mainly due to the prevalence of amber ales in the microbrew market than mediocre craftmanship. This is a more balanced beer from a brewery that I have come to associate with more aggressive beers, in a flavor and mouthfeel sense.

Didn’t move me. I detected a slight metallic taste at the end. It isn’t a pretty beer. Very hazy orange amber. Oh well.

Bottle courtesy of Beerguy101, thanks again Mitch! Hazy amber pour with an off white head. Aroma of brown sugar, earthy hops and some caramel malt. Flavor of light sweet malt, brown sugar, and a bit of spice. Light body, easy drinkability with a fairly clean finish. Not bad.

Bottle via trade with stoutlover72. Pours a ruby amber color with a smallish beige head, some lacing. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, floral hops. Flavor is toasted malt, nuts, sweet. Palate is medium bodied, medium carbonation, bitter finish. Really good. Drakes is rapidly moving up my faves list.

Bottle courtesy of the very generous aspidites! Thanks Mike! Poured a nice amber color with a beautiful creamy head. Smelled like malts and apples. Taste was sweet malts, citrus, and caramel. I enjoyed this one. Very drinkable.

Deep tea-brown, with average, concentrically-arrayed head forming in glass. Aroma is hazelnuts, dark bread (pumpernickel) and charred coffee along with a general undertone of sticky malt. Tastes initially slightly sweet, then a big sweet slice of fresh baked bread dunked in some slightly overroasted coffee. Finishes a bit too clean really. Little hops character, but it’s to be expected for the style. Well done, but not as distinctive as other Drake’s beers I’ve had.

Bottle. This is a monster amber. It is malty and hoppy at the same time with a substantial body. It pours with a copper color and a big head. Flavors are complex, there are malts, caramel, hops, and raisins. The alcohol is pronounced in the finish. This is less of a session beer than most ambers, it is quite heavy.

Color is, oh nevermind - has a nice appearance, sporting an appropriate sized tan foam cap. Yes its a malty, bready brew, with just a hint of spice. Quite earthy and "english" malt character, good balance of hops. Nice beer, Drake’s seems to be able to add a positive dose of character to each style they approach, without straying too far.