Eel River Amber Ale

I have discovered a new store to buy beer at. Sadly, I don’t remember its name, but it’s out in Multnomah Village, and it’s a great enough place that visions of moving into the area have been dancing in my head. Other than the nondescript ‘we have a lot of beers’ sign, this place is pretty plain. Inside, it’s a mini-mart, with beef jerky and magazines and the works, but in the back there are over 900 (nine zero zero) different beers. I cancelled my beer of the month club subscription. While not my first purchase from said nameless uberstore, this is my first review of a beer from there.

The hoppy sweet aroma of this beer is pretty strong, which nicely melds and downplays the flavor of this organic amber, which is fairly strong alone. The combination is very pleasing. As is the norm, there is little head to speak of on a poured pint, and the carbonation takes a back seat to the texture of the liquid. These combinations yield a very full experience, quite different, and nicely so, from my defining Amber, the one from Full Sail. The hue of this ale is beautiful, deeper and redder than many others, enough that the glance evokes a subtle berry-fruitiness in the beer.

The brewery is in Fortuna, Ca, amidst the Redwoods in the northwest corner of the state. This particular brew is completely organic, something that I could really give two shits about when it comes to beer, but is probably important anyway. I am really quite enjoying this beer, a sentence that you will likely find pretty frequently in my reviews, but this one is different. This ale doesn’t carry with it the depth of flavor that a lot of the other beers have had, but it just tastes good. Really. Don’t go for this one when you’re feeling adventurous, it’s not wild and crazy, it’s a crowd pleaser, show up to the party with two six-packs of it and leave one in the car. cheers.