Austin, Texas is a city with attitude: A metropolis with an edgy and less conventional outlook that ranks highly on lists of favorite American cities. Anything that comes out of Austin, it would stand to reason, should be a little more eccentric than average and while this may be true in most instances, it is less than true with Austin’s Independence Brewery. And one good example of an Independence Brewery product that doesn’t deliver much excitement is Austin Amber.
Beer Bio:
Style: American Amber
Calories: unknown
Carbs: unknown
Alcohol Content: 4.9 percent by volume
Austin Amber Ale pours to a light copper color with a nose that features diacetyl notes with a little bit of caramel, citrus, and roasted malt. The beer is well filtered, as evidenced by its completely clear body, and its light tan- colored head of foam is looks good at first, but doesn’t hold up for long.
As for the taste, Austin Amber Ale offers a few interesting flavors such as chocolate, caramel, and a lightly roasted malt flavor. The initial taste is earthy and bready and the sweet flavour profile is evident from beginning to end. There is very little hop character- only 14 IBU of bitterness- and the beer finishes without much aftertaste or much to remember, with a somewhat watery character.
Austin Amber Ale is a less than exciting beer product from Austin’s Independence Brewing Company and it is one of a handful of beer products I have sampled from this brewery to date. It is a simple beer that fails to make a positive first or second impression. The aroma is rather bland and the body of the beer has that “clear around the edges” look- a quality that is often indicative of a beer that is too watery. Looks aren’t everything, but in this instance, they are spot- on because the flavour is just as great of a letdown. I like the chocolate character present in this beer but I don’t like the overall sweetness level and the lack of any real hop character. Even the finish is disappointing. There is little aftertaste at all and in less than a minute, you can barely tell you were once drinking beer.
Austin, Texas is a city with many attractions and it is easy to see why so many visitors love the area so much and why so many new residents have decided to call Austin their home. Austin is known for its eccentric and unpredictable attitude, but these qualities are sorely lacking with Austin Amber Ale. Its bland flavor profile leaves you with a feeling of disappointment; an ultimate letdown for a product for which my expectations were so much higher.
Rating: 3 Cheers out of 10
Copyright 2011, Bryan Carey
