Hales OBriens Harvest Ale

Brewed by Hales Ales
Style: Amber Ale
Seattle, Washington USA

Name: O’Brien’s Harvest Ale
Date: September 08, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear dark amber, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet caramel malt aroma, earthy hops with a touch of woodyness, light fruityness from the caramel malt, light citrus
Flavor: sweet caramel malt flavor, dark caramel sweetness, touch of candy, balancing earthyness with a light bitterness
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: ** /4

Bottle conditioned. 355 ml bought in Seattle for Superpower beer session part II, 29.01.09. Pours a cloudy dark amber colour, with small beige head. Aroma of hops and straw. Caramelized fruit and floral hops in taste. Bitter coffee-like finish.

This is an Amber? Oookey. Pours a rich, cloudy mohagany color with just a trace of a head, but leaves a bit of a lace. Smells malty like an Amber, but it has some fruit/spice presence. Flavor is very hoppy for an Amber and almost reminds me of a fruit beer -- almost. Malty with dark fruits (raisins), but some spices I can’t quite peg. Also, lots of both bitter and floral hops that balance it well and give it a nice finish. The palate is crisp yet thick. I usually don’t like Ambers, but if you insist that this is one (and I rate to style), then it’s exceptional!. Still too sweet to be my go-to, but nicely paired with the crisp air outside.

I had to this baby at the Great American Beer festival out of plastic glass well not the ideal situation the ale exceeded my expectations and a well hopped amber ale that borders on an Ipa. Look forward to having a full pint of this some day. The beers in this Michael Jackson book are getting harder and harder to find and 141 left.

tap at fremont oktoberfest. hoppy, big time dark orange color with fizzy bubbles. Not a great palate.

Bottle... Poured deep amber with an off-white head that dissipated immediately. Aroma of fruits, mild hops and a malt dominance. A little overly carbonated for me as it over powered some flavors. Noticeable hops, but the malts seemed a little off. A funky acidic, syrup quality to it.

12oz bottle. Highly filtered copper-orange colored. Nice and steady off-white head. Mild sweet malt and noble hop aroma. Smooth and creamy, with a solid earthy hoppy backbone. Very well balanced and clean, this is certainly an excellent Amber. Syrupy hoppy finish, with some subtle fruity Amber malt. A great seasonal, well done.

Colour... dark garnet-amber with no head. Nose... sweetly piney hops and some malt. Palate... light C02, very hoppy (for the style), but a fabulously sweet, malty backbone with toffee and caramel and a looooooong finish. Quite different than most of the harvest/autumnal/okto ales I’ve tried which tend towards the marzen style. Nice change of pace!