Serve in a nonic pint at 7-10 °C
What it tastes like
American amber sits between an American pale ale and a brown ale. It takes the pale ale's American hops, citrus, pine and flowers, and puts them on a deeper malt base with real caramel and toast. The colour is amber to copper and the beer is clear.
Balance is the point. Neither side wins. You get toffee and toasted bread first, then orange peel and pine, then a moderate bitterness that keeps the caramel from going sticky. Some brewers push the hops toward a red IPA; others keep it mellow. Both are fair as long as the malt stays in the picture.
It is an easy style to make dull. Too much crystal malt and it turns sweet and heavy; too little and it is a pale ale with food colouring. A good one is clean, with no butterscotch, and dry enough that the caramel reads as flavour rather than sugar. Put it next to dinner and it earns its place.
Style profile
- Look
- Amber to copper, clear, with an off white head of good retention.
- Aroma and flavour
- Caramel, toffee and toast malt, citrus, pine or floral American hops, clean fermentation.
- Mouthfeel
- Medium body, moderate carbonation, a balanced, moderately bitter finish.
- Ingredients
- Pale malt with a generous share of crystal malt, American hops such as Cascade or Centennial, a clean American ale yeast.
In India
Amber ale suits Indian dinner tables better than a hop bomb. The caramel takes on tandoori char, the moderate bitterness does not inflame the chilli, and the malt hides a little heat damage better than an IPA. It is less common on Indian taps than wheat beers and IPAs, so when you see one, it is worth a try with food.
At the Indian table
Food pairings contributed by Anuradha Rao
- Tandoori chickenCaramel malt picks up the char and the hops lift the lemon and spice.
- UndhiyuThe Gujarati winter vegetable pot has a sweet, spiced edge that suits toffee malt.
- Pork vindalooMalt sweetness rounds out the vinegar and chilli heat.
- Mysore pakGhee and gram flour meet the toasted malt, and the bitterness keeps it from cloying.
Brewed in India
- Geist Almost Amber Ale, Geist Brewing Co., Bengaluru source
Want the long read? Amber and red ales