James Squire Original Amber Ale

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Dark orange / amber, with a frothy beige head Fruity aromas at first... kinda like a sherbet candy, but followed up with a rockmelon / cantaloup (is that how you spell it ?) note. Touch of honeycomb/toffee. Opens with a musk flavour, then washed away with a rich variety of malt tastes. Finishes off with some delicate, floral hints from the hops. Has a medium body at the outset, and finishes quite smoothly, without cloying or sticking around. The bitterness is medium. In Sydney at least, this is probably the most widespread "craft" tap beer; it has been warmly embraced by a city historically renowned for it's parochial (and myopic, pardon my mixed-senses-metaphor) palate. It could be argued that its existence at the end of the row of taps has prompted a few queries, and definitely opened up a few minds. Although there are better Squire beers, and many others besides, I believe that one can attribute a lot of the current upswing in Australian craft brewing to this beer, and its creator, Dr Chuck Hahn.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Had this back in early '05 and got it at Trader Joe's in Temecula. Damn fine beer - normally I find Aussie brews to, well, suck immensly. Came out reddish amber with an ample off white head that had little retentsion, but produced some steady lacing. Flavourful lightly toasted sweet (hardly) malts, mild bitter hops with some fruitiness to it. Mouthfeel was ereally good aside from the carbonation which I found a bit excessive. Bitter aftertaste has some legs.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Malt Shovel Brewery is the proper place for this beer to originate as it is overwhelmingly malty in all aspects except for the finish. A smoked flavor pokes it's head out now and again. Very pretty amber color on the pour. Better than average amber ale.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Having been totally disappointed by Malt Shovel's so-called Porter, I suspect that I may not have approached this Amber Ale with a completely open mind. Regardless, this is an Amber ale that showed promise.

The appearence, nose, and taste all say "quality" -- I think any self-respecting beer loving can pick up on that much. But this seemed way-too thin for the style. I don't want to say watery, since that is not the case..., but definately lacking that certian "kick" to make it more interesting. As such, I have to mark only "average" for both mouthfeel and drinkability. Reminds me a bit of Fat Tire, but with just-plain less body and character.

It seems that all of Malt Shovel brews degrade a bit when bottled. And while it will be a long time until I can get back to Australia, I hope to be able to someday get "the real deal" on tap, to give these brews a honest try under more pristine conditions.
//TB

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Medium amber color, small head. A medium bodied amber ale. Nicely malty and slightly hoppy. A mild yet full flavored ale. Rich, smooth taste. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is malty and slightly bitter. Nice beer. Flavorful, light and refreshing.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Pours a dark ruby an damber color. A beautiful body. A fairly large white head tops this. The aroma is weird with moss and some soap. Also hints of roasted malt. The taste is a smooth caramel and toast. Also some pears come out as you continue to drink. Actually, a very nice and subtle rendition of the style.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

This amber ale pours with a beautiful clear amber body topped by a thick off white head with good lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet, grassy and hoppy with a slight fruitiness and a nice maltiness. The flavor is slightly sweet and malty with a nice hoppiness in the background. The finish is slightly bitter and hoppy. It's medium bodied, smooth and slightly dry. A good session beer.