Grand River Plowmans Ale

Brewed by Grand River Brewing
Style: Amber Ale
Cambridge, Canada

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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Draught. At Volo. Clear amber with an average off-white head. Leathery aroma - reminded me of a decent Merlot - burnt malt and UK hops, bitter and dry. Very bitter and burnt UK hop aroma, lots of toaty malt backing, long herbal-bitter finish. Average body, very astringent and carbonized moutfeel, bitter aftertaste - solid effort, I’d have it again .... I love the leathery character to this.

In short: An earthy and hoppy amber ale. Good stuff.
How: Bottle 500ml from matt7215, thanks a lot Matt. Consumed very fresh, bottling date October 03 2008, drank 12 days later (October 15 2008).
The look: Clear amber body topped by a medium beige head with medium retention
In long: Intriguing nose, very hoppy for a so-called amber ale with lots of perfumy flowers citrus. Taste has a good amount of earthy caramelized despite a rather light body. Fresh red fruits and even a hint of pineapple. The perfumy note of the aroma translate into earthy leafy hops in the taste with a slight dark tea and green tea flavour. Hopping is actually reminiscent of a ESB but with a dirtier caramelized body. Nice beer. But calling a beer Plowman’s Ale up here in the snowy north is not really appealing, it’s like calling a beer the Dentist’s Ale in England.

Bottle from scrizz. Instead of us giving him beers for his birthdat, he gave them to us. It was almost a bizarro world tasting without the beer controller pouring my beer and telling me when to finish. Light buggy nose, some toffee/caramel, and some sharp fruity notes. Golden amber no real head. Somewhat tart with an earthy bitterness in the finish. I don’t get much else in this one. Not really my favorite.

500. thanks, scrizzz! pours a lightly hazed very dark amber. tangy, peachy, toffeeish nose. creamy medium body with soft carb. woody, earthy mid palate. mild earthy finish.

Bottle, bottled on May 12, 2012. Deep amber with ruby highlights and a frothy beige head that reduces to a foamy ring. Aroma is lovely: toast, birch syrup, subtle candied orange. Nice malty palate, toast and fruity caramel, simple but tasty. Medium bitterness. Pleasant and comforting.

Draught @ Winking Judge. Deep amber with small off-white head. Grapefruity hop aroma is subtle, not in your face. Smooth, balanced, quaffable with low carbonation. Solid malts and hops both. Pretty nice but thins out in the finish a lot.

Growler at 2007 Golden Tap Awards, beerbistro. Pours a clear amber-copper with a good size mostly-lasting off-white head. Mild aroma of caramel malt, grain, light roastness and some light yeasty sweetness. Flavour has a good amount of resiny hops, some lightly roasted malt and a nice bitter finish. Average to medium bodied. Good stuff, very well done.

[398-20070704] Growler (c/o jerc, w/ him, tupalev). Toasty hops aroma. Clear, dark amber red body with a medium-lasting foamy off-white head. Toasted malt grain flavour with medium alcohol. Medium-full body is quite rough. Bitter but interesting.

Bottle. Copper amber with a fair head. Strong vanilla scent mixed with wood and hints of aluminum. Big body. A touch syrupy. Flavour start and middle seem nondescript. Nice peppery hop finish and lingering bitterness make for a nice drinkable beer. Take out the vanilla and metallic note and we have a winner.

Bottle: Poured a deep amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt with subtle grainy flavor. Taste is dryer then I had anticipated with good caramel malt and dry finish. Hops are not overly distinct and ester are somewhat lacking. Body is about average with good carbonation. Not bad overall but I would say that this was below average for this brewer.