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AMBER ALE The thing that most differenciates amber from red ale is amber beers lacking of red's lactic acid character. Amber ales are mostly pleasant easy drinking beers, not particularly high in alcohol and are not at all sour. Belgian "session" beers. As with most Belgian beer the hopping rates are typically on the low side, although of all Belgian styles - excluding pils - it is probably the hoppiest. One exceptional example of a world-class amber ale is De Koninck, although it is reputed to decline in calibre the further you get from it's home in Antwerp. I had it on draught in Bruges, which is pretty far from Antwerp, and found it very enjoyable but not up to the descriptions I had heard. This brings to mind another world class beer, Bass ale. If you've never had Bass in England then you've never had Bass ale, and the closer to the source I have gotten the better the beer. Real ales are very tempormental when it comes to traveling, and I suspect this phenomonon holds true for De Koninck. Other examples of amber ale are Artevelde Grand Cru, Bruegel, the various versions of Palm and, though it is a bit strong for this classification, Pauwel Kwak. These beers range from around 5% to 7% ABV. Houten Kop is an amber ale with a twist, it is a bit hoppy an spiced (we've yet to torcher the specifics out of the brewer!). This combination gives it a unique and delightful flavor. | ||||
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Styles Page Lambic Ale Abbey and Trappist Ale Witbier Sour Ale |
Brown Ale Strong Golden Ale Specialties Saison Pilsner | |||
