Arnie's pint o' bitter
Written: Dec 22 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good hop character, careful choice of malt
Cons: Not the best for any occasion
|
|
|
| counsel's Full Review: Amber Ale |
After downing a six-pack of Anchor Brewing Co.’s Liberty Ale (about which I wrote not too long ago), you could reasonably expect me to view any brew favorably that had a strong hop character along with a reasonable malt foundation. And you would be right.
Take the drive to part of Houston’s underbelly, look for the most innocuous and insipid strip warehouse on the northwest side you can find, and chances are good you’ve run into the hidden pearl that is St. Arnold’s microbrewery. Save for the little St. Arnold’s sign on the outside, you could just as easily be looking at a loading ramp for oil pipe, cable spools, or other large industrial objects.
Instead, it’s a loading ramp for huge bags of malted barley, as you learn when you investigate (and sniff) further. The patron saint of brewing likes to disguise his blessings by making them available in what would normally be viewed as a dreary, warehouse-district strip center; the delight one experiences when they find the hidden abode of St. Arnold's is akin to suddenly walking into the halls of Tom Bombadil after a hard night at the barrows.
The Amber Ale relies on a mixture of Liberty and Cascade hops for its character. Grown in the arid areas of the great Northwest (you southerners didn’t know there were arid areas in the great Northwest, didja?), these hops provide the bitter spike for a great many domestic (and some foreign) brews, both micro and otherwise. Liberty and Cascade hops are used in several of St. Arnold’s recipes, but never with greater effect than in their Amber Ale. While not quite as hoppy as an IPA, this ale’s floral hop character does cause you to sit up and take notice, and because of that I would recommend it with any sort of food that requires something to cut through the food’s flavor – such as food with onions, like pizza, or food with tangy flavors, such as any salad with vinegar as part of its dressing recipe.
St. Arnie’s web site tells me that they use Caravienne malt to add to the flavor of this brew. Caravienne malt is a light (as opposed to dark or heavily roasted) “crystal” barley malt which is almost sugar-sweet and crunchy when eaten after the malting process is completed. It is used in many microbrew recipes across the nation. “Crystal” means, basically, that the starch contents of the grain were crystallized as the grain went through the drying or roasting process. Any crystal malt will add an extra dimension of sweetness to a brew; in the Amber Ale, it is a good counterpoint to the hop characteristics imparted by the generous addition thereof by the brewmeister.
It’s also worth noting that St. Arnie’s has developed a proprietary yeast strain for this ale. This is noteworthy because many yeast strains are borrowed from existing yeast cultures (and their progeny) used to make existing beers and ales. Some stout makers boast, for instance, that their yeast was taken from the vats of the Guinness brewery at St. James Gate, and that particular yeast culture has been kept alive for hundreds of years, brewing vat after vat of the venerable Guinness Stout. The yeast, as does the other ingredients, imparts a particular flavor to a brew, and people strive to either borrow or develop a culture that is distinctive.
Here, St. Arnolds has developed their own strain of brewing yeast, and they report that the particular fruity notes apparent in the Amber Ale are due to this yeast hybrid they alone make. While I was unable, probably due to a somewhat untrained palate, to detect any distinctive flavor, the fruity notes were there, and it is certain that the yeast hybrid does nothing, in my opinion, to detract from the flavor of this ale.
The coppery colored brew has a firm, rocky head and makes its hop character immediately apparent on the first whiff. The hops are not so strong as to hide the fragrance of the crystal malt supplying the foundation of this brew – the sweetness is there to be savored, even before tasting it.
There is no harshness or unevenness to this ale on the first sip, and the lively hop notes tingle without yanking your taste buds into a new orientation. The Caravienne malt flavors flow smoothly over the tongue, and the overall texture is pleasing without being too bitter or sweet. It is somewhat long in the mouth without heaviness; a clean, fruity feeling stays with you after you swallow, and this ale invites you to enjoy more even as you finish the first bottle.
While you may not be enjoying much of Houston if you venture into St. Arnold’s neighborhood, the blessings of the patron saint of brewing most assuredly fall upon those who partake of this ale. I give it four stars of five; enjoy.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
counsel
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Dwight
Location: Houston
Reviews written: 117
Trusted by: 499 members
About Me:
If I smell flowers, I start looking around for a coffin.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.