Spanish Peaks Brewing Company

Deep bronze/amber color, verging on red. There’s a nice clarity, strong carbonation, and a soft white foam that was adequately enduring. The nose is predominantly malty with some caramel, a slight nuttiness, raisin fruitiness and a little yeast. There’s also a nice fresh flowery hoppiness, which does strike a fine balance. There’s a slight tingly, almost prickly mouthfeel. The palate is pretty smooth and on the lighter side of the style (note my style comments below). An initial sweetness greets the taste buds, certainly malty and sugary with suggestions of toffee, caramel, and a mild cotton candy, while I also get an underlying yeastiness. A good hop presence arrives very early, creating a good balance throughout, starting out slightly bitter and strengthening to citric towards the end. There’s a mild toastiness that pops in briefly mid-palate, and this does continue into the aftertaste, along with a smooth sweetness, while the tangy bitterness does not subside. This is a very enjoyable, firm and full flavored ale, on the sweeter side, but the hops do play an interesting role too. This is billed as an amber ale but I would say pale, while others say brown.