Feather River Honey Ale

Brewed by Feather River Brewing Co.
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Magalia, California USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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(22 oz bottle: $3.29 at Liquor Barn in Redding, CA) Cheap, sweet, dreadful honey taste and an unpleasant floral flavor dominate this beer and that’s not a good combination to this beer drinker. Actually, it starts out acceptably, with a mild tartness that kind of offsets the honey and flowers, but those flavors quickly win out and the finish is pretty horrendous. The nose is more tolerable, with the honey and floral nature being balanced out by a light tartness. Light-medium bodied, lightly carbonated, with a long-lasting sweetness that quickly wears out the palate. Your basic amber colored beer, slightly hazy, with a small, off-white head that settles to a thin ring. Ooph, this could be the worst honey beer I’ve ever tasted.

Just not my style. The aftertaste is funky, like licking a burlap sack. Not in the too hoppy good way either. Well, its just not my thing. Its not a bad beer, just needs a small refinment.

22oz bottle, purchased at Liquor Barn. Wasn’t expecting much from this given the preceding ratings, but this isn’t so bad. Pours a generally clear, bright orange color; fine-bubbled off-white head with solid retention and lacing. Kind of a bland aroma, showing dishsoap, cereal, citrus, and honey; more soapy than stale. Medium body; medium to medium-high carbonation. Following the aroma, the core shows some citrusy soapiness along with a slightly hollow honeyed maltiness; some light minerally bitterness, and balanced overall, but generally flabby in the midsection. Looks decent. Would be a solid beer minus that soap-like element. Medium-length finish showing honey and some toastiness.

22 ounce bottle purchased at Liquor Barn in Redding, CA. There are some lightly metallic aromas that give way to some very apparent and noticeable honey in the nose. Almost smells a bit like a lager/maibock. Mildly hazy golden-orange body with a small, faint, quickly dissipating off-yellow head. Start is a little spritzy with some light biscuit maltiness before a very sweet, stick, honey flavor dominates to finish. One dimensional and entirely underattenuated. Not overly enjoyable.

Hayduke keeps finding beers I can’t get here in the Midwest. This beer pours clear copper color with a very thin off white head. Apricot and spice aroma. Flavor was big time apricot and malt with a hint of cinnamon. Pretty decent but not one of the greats.

From a 22 oz bottle picked up at the Belden Lodge in Belden, CA,. This poured an amber color with a medium sized white head and light lacing. The nose is mostly caramel malts with a few other unidentifiable aromas. The body is a bit thin and the mouthfeel reasonably smooth. The flavor is dominated by the malts with now a few hops showing bringing a little bitterness forward that continues over into the bittersweet finish. I am not much of an amber fan and this one is pretty ordinary.

Bomber. Smells of caramel malt with a light honey touch. Decent amber color with a white head that wasn’t much. Thin to medium body with near creamy carbonation. Starts citrus (not grapefruit) backed by caramel malt. That doesn’t last long - each mouthful tends to drop into relatively no taste. Not getting a lot of honey, and there is enough floral hop to help cut the sweetness. I really liked the start, and it is certainly drinkable. In the end it is somewhat sweet, but the bitter builds up. It’s just a bit different. Much, much better, I believe than Oregon Honey Beer. Maybe because there is some decent bitter. I have no problem with a bitter sweet beer.

UPDATED: JAN 26, 2007 On tap. This beer was a pretty big dissapointment. It tastes and smells lightly of sulfer. Sweet at first with a sickly lingering honey finish. Films a bit in the back of the throat.

Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, fully diminishing. Body is hazy light amber. Aroma is lightly malty (cookie), lightly hoppy (grapefruit), with notes of wort and honey. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter, unclean. Medium body, watery texture, soft carbonation. Raw worty smell, sour finish, this just ain’t ready for public consumption yet.

Slightly hazy and golden. Creamy and thickish palate, much thicker than I expected. Light and sugary malts (cookie dough, sugar, honey). Mild, grassy hops (light flowers). Earthy and kind of wholesome. Some bitterness in the aftertaste, but sweetness wins, and then lingers. Fairly drinkable beer.