Town Hall Amber Lager

Town Hall Amber Lager. 5.5 % ABV.
Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

I searched the Bitter Nib for Amber Lager from Town Hall and I found Red Sterling Lager, but this is not that. And looking on BeerAdvocate, I found that the only "amber lager" named as such was added to their database this January. So, there's a new beer for me to review, so ...I shall.

You see, we are still in the time of the quarantine, still trying to wait until the threat of COVID-19 hs safely passed. My place of work is still shut-down, and I'm still hanging out at home with Sonny Boy the Cat, catching up on reading, doing a little doodling, binging shows on Netflix, dusting off DVDs, doing a little this and that, and trying to find new beers to review. I decided to order delivery crowlers from Town Hall this week, and there weren't a lot of new ones to me, just a few. But we also just need some good old good ones, just to drink. So a Masala Mama here, an Amber Lager there, an Ol' Jack Frost here, a Raspberry Chocolate Imperial Stout there. So, keep your eyes out for that one, soon, and here we go with this one.

Clear, copper-y/bronze colored, slim beige-ish head.

In the nose: Sweet malty aromatics, a little earthy, a touch of fruit.

In the mouth: Herbs, earth, little hop bitterness at the front. Malt sweetness is kept in check with just enough hops for balance. Lightish bodied, easy drinking, clean, smooth, but still quite flavorful. I don't drink amber lagers much. Not enough hops for me. But it's a good amber lager, and you can certainly drink it.

Crisp and full-flavored red lager with emphasis on rich layered malts without lots of hop bitterness. 

It's funny what is sometimes considered "lots", no?

Schell's One Five Five

Schell's One Five Five, American Amber / Red Lager. 5% ABV. August Schell Brewing Company, New Ulm, MN.

Brewed for the 155th Anniversary, last year. And I'm just getting around to it now. There are a bunch of bottles I've been putting off. Consider this part of spring cleaning.

Clear, light crimson coloring, with a beige-ish head of good standing, leaving lace.

Sweet and malty nose, lightly fruity, clean. Notes of apple and cherry stand out.

In the mouth: bright malt provides and just enough hops for balance. Medium to light bodied, soft texture, enduring sweet malt flavor. Not too much for me, maybe too much for some who shun the sweet side. There's a little something funky, from the yeast, perhaps, though I'm not exactly sure where it comes from. Caramel malt, a little toffee, lingering malt flavor. Tasty stuff. Not bad at all.

Dave's BrewFarm Gravity Sux Lager

There are all kinds who visit Dave's BrewFarm, plenty of interesting characters, including some who love to sky-dive. On many occasions, they've chosen the BrewFarm as their landing site, and I've been there once for the drop. Imagine that, someone falls out of the sky and comes up to the bar for a beer.

Well, they talked Farmer Dave into taking the plunge with them, a surreal experience, he called it, and he brewed this beer in their honor.  Gravity Sux, it's called, and it's 6.9% ABV. I've seen it called an "American Pale Lager" on Untappd, and having had it at the BrewFarm last Saturday, I wouldn't agree, but like I said about the last one, you gotta stick it somewhere (for those websites, anyway). This one, too, I'd call an amber lager.

Appearance: crystal clear, bright golden/amber hue, slim white head.

Aroma: mild, fruity hops, light spice, then malt.

Taste: Sweet malt and minor hops greet the tongue at first, sweet biscuity, bready malt reveals itself behind that. Medium-bodied, light finish. Little bit of peppery spice in the flavor, little bit of stone fruit, apricot,  peach, a touch of citrus. Smooth stuff. And tasty as they get. Here's where I stop with my lager-bashing and just enjoy.

Here's what Farmer Dave has to say: "Gravity Sux: Brewed for our favorite group of jumpers who like to "drop in" for a beer at the BrewFarm! Smooth and easy drinking--Pils and Caramel malts, Cluster and PErle hops, and fermented with a lager yeast. For those who like to jump out of perfectly good airplanes!"

Lakefront River West Stein Beer

Notes from May 2003:

Lakefront Riverwest Stein Beer amber lager. 5.7% ABV.

Appearance: muddy bronze body, below a small, dunnish head.

Aroma: a bit complex! Bitter, dark fruits mingle with caramel overtones, although the dominant aspect is dry, with a whiff of carbonation. Malt is felt prominently, and seriously kicks in once you get it up to the lips.

Great texture right up front, and a very mellow mouthfeel. Little hops, but substantially malty. That's what this beauty is all about, and it delivers a fantastic, rewarding taste all the way through.
Rich, tasty, lush, warm and friendly, full in body, this is a malty masterpiece. Just a perfect lager in every respect, never, ever lacking in flavor.

Minneapolis Town Hall Red Sterling Lager

Town Hall Red Sterling Lager. Don't have a lot of information on hand about it. Let me look around a bit...Amber/Red Lager. 6.6% ABV. What hops, what malts? Not sure...

Clear, amber-y auburn appearance, small, but stable creamy-toned head. Nice, and inviting.

Aroma: Crisp and malty, sightly sweet, a little bit fruity, a little bit nutty, and a whole lot of likability.

Taste: Jumps into the mouth boldly, a tasty, malty, well-rounded flavor. A bigger, richer malt flavor than you're likely to find in any other amber lager. Hops are here, but low-lying, as they ought to be.
Tasty, tasty stuff.

This is the sort of quality brew that typifies the excellent output of Town Hall. Unfortunately, it's likely to be bypassed by the beer geeks due to the lack of popularity of lagers, the low hop quotient, the fact that it's not a bourbon-barrel imperial stout, etcetera, etcetera.

But it's damn good, without a doubt. Rich malty flavors rise up in the palate and roll around, leaving a long, warm finish. Plain ol' terrific.

Harriet's Marzen German-style amber lager / Oktoberfest

Last year, around this time, Harriet Brewing Company debuted the RauchFest, a smoked version of a German Oktoberfest/marzen lager. This year, they also let out a small amount of it to on-premise accounts, and sold it at the taproom, as well as this last Saturday's RauchFest celebration. I'm taking notes at the tail-end of our one and only keg.


Harriet's Marzen/Oktoberfest.

Clear, crisp, autumnal amber appearance, slim, creamy white head.

Aroma: herbal, vegetal, malty, and just this side of sweet.

Taste: clean, smooth, malty, and delicious. Lots of rich amber lager flavor, very mellow, mild, and easy off the tongue. Medium bodied, exceptional consumability.
Drinks like a dream. No fuss, no muss. Is what it is. Sweet in the middle, dry in the end. Virtually no hops perceived, very minor bitterness, just enough to keep the sweetness at bay.

Classic marzen from Harriet. A pity they made so little. Next time, guys, next time go long and large with this one, long and large.

Millstream Schild Brau Amber Lager

Millstream Schild Brau Amber Lager, Amana, Iowa. Behind a checkered shield of hops and barley, lies a pastoral farm scene, and absolutely no gobbledygook.

Clear, amber color, slim white head.

Malty aromatics, moderate hopping, grain and cereal notes more than anything else.

Hop bitterness boards the palate first, hangs around the mouth, then leaves quietly. Replaced with smooth, fruity malt goodness. Crisp, lean-bodied, excellent censurability. Not exciting, but not supposed to be, either. 

I sense a trend with this brewery. Won't stop me from seeking out more from them. This was a summer sampler pack I bought, that I'm drinking a little late. There's a stout out there I've heard nice things about, I've got to remember to grab.

All in all, Not a bad thirst quencher after a hard day of milking cows. 

August Schell Hopfenmalz

This one came to us first as part of the Anniversary Series, eight beers that came out every three months in the two years leading up to the sesquicentennial. Since I reviewed this in March, 2009, that would make it  #6, by my best guess. It was the popular favorite, and won the right to represent Schell's as the 150th Anniversary beer. I have no idea whether they're going to continue it, since here we are going into year 152, but there it was in my sample pack. Notes from March, 2009 follow:

"...the elegant drinkability of a pilsner, the bready maltiness of a Vienna lager, and the hopping of a pale ale." Vienna, Caramunich, & Caravienne malts, Cascade and Tettnang hops, dry-hopped, fermented with lager yeast at ale temps, and aged 6 weeks for smooth lager crispness. 12.7 Plato, 36 IBU, 5.8% abv.

Clear, amber appearance, slim, whitish head. 

Lightly spicy, citric hoppy aromatics, with a classic lager aroma right behind it. Interesting.

Reappears in the flavor, the zest, the pepper, the tangy citric feel, then all is smooth, the hop attack riding softly on the palate, then fading back. Each sip returns the pleasant hoppy character, followed by soft, biscuity malt.

Good flavor, great drinkability. I like this unique lager/ale hybrid. Another tasty easy-drinker in the Anniversary series.

Menabrea Ambrata (G. Mebrea e Figli

Let's go to Italy! Shall we? Another one I'd never heard of, picked up at ye olde Ale Jail.

G. Menabrea e Figli, Casa Fondata nel 1846, Amber beer/birra ambrata

Why did I buy this? Because I have never seen it before, never had it, and it looked interesting. I have no idea whether it will be. Only one way to find out.

Dusky amber red coloration, lasting creamy head. Looks nice.

Grassy/ herbal aroma, very lager-y. Just a little musky, a trifle off.

Taste: clean and smooth, nice malt component, little hops, a whiff and a huff of fruit. A tiny bit of bitterness emerges, but it remains a malty amber lager. Consumable, refreshenating, gulpable, and altogether nice.

But, need it be said, not for me, though I'm glad I tried it!

Milwaukee Brewing Flaming Damsel Real Blonde Lager

Here's my second from Milwaukee Brewing Company.

Milwaukee Brewing Company, Flaming Damsel, Real Blonde. So, why is she a red-head? I have to admit I grabbed this based on the lovely label imagery. It's meant to be a high-flying acrobat, I think, but she reminds me not a little of Jean Grey, aka Marvel Girl, aka Phoenix from the X-Men. Enough of that, let's crack it open.

Clear and golden, adequate slim white head. Drifts down to nil in no time.

Aroma, grainy, corny…not getting much of what I like. Very lager-y, which I guessed , and is confirmed in the corner of the label. Inoffensive, but uninspiring.

Taste: Mild malt, small hops, low bitterness, but very balanced. Pleasing and quaffable, but not for me. It's a nice enough amber lager (blonde lager, is that a style?) and I wish them well with it.