Newport Storm's Hurricane Amber Can Go Out to Sea
Written: Apr 28 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Mouthfeel showed signs of being alright.
Cons: The taste is just too bland.
The Bottom Line: Unfortunately for Newport Storm it seems as though their Hurricane Amber Ale would be better off heading out to sea rather than into my pint glass anytime soon.
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| Bounty628's Full Review: Newport Storm Hurricane Amber |
Newport, Rhode Island is perhaps best known for the mansions that call Newport home and grace the coastal scenery in a brilliant way. As any good tourist destination must, Newport also is home to a small-scale brewing operation that crafts microbrewed beer that is sold in the greater Rhode Island region. With distribution stretching from Rhode Island into Massachusetts and Connecticut, Newport Storm (Coastal Brewing Company) has a rather decent line of beers that has carved themselves a little niche in a beer market that has no shortage of microbrews.
Perhaps their best brews come in the form of their Cyclone Series beers which each has a first name attached similar to hurricanes. These beers are sort of a "brewers choice" batch that switches up and is only available for a limited time. However, many of Newport Storm's standard offerings have also found a rather decent following across Southern New England. With beers like their Rhode Island Blueberry and Newport Storm Hurricane Amber catching on amongst those looking for something outside of the macro lines, Newport Storm certainly serves its purpose in providing decent brews crafted in a micro setting.
The Newport Storm Hurricane Amber is brewed in the American amber style and as such really does not venture out of the realm of the ordinary. The Hurricane Amber is about as standard as it gets when dealing with an amber ale and seeks to stay close to the ordinary rather than venture into something perhaps a bit different that could push this beer into the category of being extraordinary. With an ABV of 5.20% the beer certainly could serve as a session beer, but to me it seems to be a better beer to have every now and again, perhaps if at a cookout or something and it is the option against the macros available.
This beer pours with a traditional amber appearance gracing the glass with a tan head quickly filling the top of the pint. The amber brings a red hue to the pour in which visually allows the carbonation to show off inside the glass. The tan head dissipates slowly and leaves a nice lacing along the inside of the glass throughout the tasting.
The aroma is quite faint and does not impress with anything in particular. There is a faint undertone of some malt at play but it is quite difficult to discern much in the aroma. A modicum of hops can only be noticed if really straining to find them so needless to say the aroma is quite weak with this offering and falls short of being ideal.
For an amber ale, I am disappointed with the taste of this beer as it seems too watered down and thin to be considered a truly decent amber ale. What was missing in the aroma of the beer also seems to be missing in the taste. Nothing jumps out of the glass and onto the palate in terms of what is noted in the taste though there are smatterings of different tastes here and there. A mild caramel maltiness is noted in the beer and there is a dull, fruity hop undertone at work here as well. Bland, boring bread is noted in the taste and the lack of anything significant in the taste leaves one disappointed.
As stated previously, the mouthfeel for this beer tends to land on the side of being too watery and thin but there is a somewhat surprising coating left upon the palate that typically would find its way there if there was a rich sweetness or deep maltiness at work here. It is a pleasant surprise to find in this offering what could have been a very pleasant mouthfeel if there was a bit more backing to that mouthfeel in the taste of the beer.
Overall, Newport Storm's Hurricane Amber is not an overly drinkable beer since it does lack the necessary components coming together in the same glass to fuse into a solid brewed offering. Just as though in a hurricane sometimes different fronts can come together and form a bigger storm, a beer should take all of the different characteristics necessary in a top notch beer and come together in a symbiotic way to make a quality offering. Unfortunately for Newport Storm it seems as though their Hurricane Amber Ale would be better off heading out to sea rather than into my pint glass anytime soon.
Recommended:
No
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