Drakes Amber Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Pours a dark amber color with a one finger tan head. Smells strongly of malts and some toffee, caramel and hop aromas. Tastes of malts and caramel with some hop bite. Slight bitter finish. Medium body and decent carbonation. Overall a great amber/esb style ale.

12 ounce bottle purchased from the Davis Food Co-Op. Aroma is very pleasant. Moderately sweet, chocolate malty aromas present with some light floral spicy hoppy notes. A bit of brown sugar is also in there as well. Mmmm, smells good. Mostly transparent dark amber/light mahogany body with a rather frothy light tan head. Very attractive. Lightly sweet malty start, which quickly becomes quite cigar tobacco-like in terms of flavor. This then becomes quite creamy with a leathery, roasted, and toasted maltiness later. Some mild coffee flavors are also present with a small amount of floral hops late. I’ll tell you what, this is the benchmark of amber ales. This is what any brewer should strive for. Unfortunately, too many brewers mail in their amber ales for shit. This is dope.

Pours glowing amber in color with a quickly diminishing, fluffy white head. Toasty bread aroma mingles with some sweet malt. At first, while cold, sweet caramelly malts dominate. As it firms, the earthy, british hops jump out to bring this fine ale to perfect balance. Slight pepper in the finish. Top shelf Rodger!

Excellent aroms. Hops, piny and molassess. I like this. Thick and hoppy in the back, it has a nice but wierd balance of malts and hops. Just a little thin at times though.

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.

UPDATED: MAY 7, 2006 Amber body with a light tan head. Caramal malt aroma with a coffee malted taste with a faint hint of molasses.

UPDATED: DEC 29, 2006 Really great color. Loved seing the setiments. Heavy and filling. Recommended.

Bottle. Clear dark copper color with an ivory head. Toasted malt aroma with a warm fruity note. Toasted cereal flavor with an over-the-top bitterness. Big chewing tobacco notes. Caramel bitter finish.

Orange gold color. Medium white foamy head. Aroma is fruity, malty and sweet. A medium bodied amber. Malts are fruity and slightly sweet. Hops are grapefruity and spicy. Well balanced. It’s a little hoppy and spicy for an amber, but it does keep it from being the same as every other amber out there. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Nice dark amber to light brown color.Small off white head that faded quickly but left a nice lace behind.Malty sweet aroma with hints of caramel and faint fruit with a light hop presence showing through.Malty taste with a fairly strong hop presence,faint caramel and maybe a hint of grapefruit but it seems a bit subdued by the malt.As it warms it becomes a little sweeter and maltier,with the hops starting to mellow a bit.The finish is malty and hoppy bitter.Very nice and interesting brew.Full flavored and nicely done.Well worth trying again.Thanks Flipbrewer for this nice addition to my rating experience.