Amber Ale - Mt. Carmel Brewing Company

ONUMello

Ohio

3.89/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Appropriately enough, a hazy amber color with a two-finger head that slowly settles
S: Lots of toffee, some malt and a hint of coffee grounds
T: Toffee again up front, some malt - tasty but nothing distinct
M: Medium-bodied, smooth
O: Very solid, not particularly memorable but I would buy it again

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 22:15:34 | More by ONUMello

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well apparently this is pretty easy drinking as I got wrapped up in writing something and forgot to be focusing on the review. The flavor on this one is pretty good, though it seems to be a bit tight. It could be a bit more open and free instead of somewhat restricted. Still is pretty good though. Don't get to see too many nice ambers. Or so it seems.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 02:16:00 | More by RblWthACoz

AwYeh

California

4.35/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into nonic pint.

A: Pours a slightly foggy, bright, reddish amber color. Two fingers of frothy, off-white head top the beer off, leaving a great amount of lacing behind.

S: Quite a strong smell for the style; there are a lot of thick, sweet malts, as you might expect, bring forth flavors of caramel, bread, nuts, and toast. There's a nice hop balance too, with a moderate herbal/grassy flavor which is nicely complemented by light orange peel and a soft resinous flavor.

T: Sweet toffee, caramel malts, a grainy flavor, and a bit of toast balance this beer's hop flavors perfectly. Those flavors themselves are earthy, piny, and slightly citrusy, and leave a light-moderate bitterness behind. It's hard to say enough about how well Mt. Carmel nailed the balance of this beer.

M: Clean, smooth, and creamy; moderately bodied and carbonated.

O: This is a great amber ale, and may be my favorite example of the style. Love the hoppier than usual approach. My glass of this went quickly, and I wish I had picked up more than a single of this at the store.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 03:35:24 | More by AwYeh

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Thanks dakkon54!

It looks like a good beer. Deep amber body with a small white head. Nothing special, but looks not bad. Smells very sweet, lots of toffee and caramel here. A bit of earthy grassy notes to it as well, but still dominated by sweetness. In terms of malt ambers, its actually pretty good.

Lots of dry cereal grains, a bit of metallic feeling, and a hint of toffee as well. Very balanced and drinkable, yet still bold.

Not going to blow your mind, but you will enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2012 17:03:45 | More by VncentLIFE

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Another beer received in a recent BIF.

Pours a medium-dark amber color, not quite clear, with one finger of yellowish tan head. Decent retention, some lacing. Not bad, not great.

Smells fairly nutty, heavy on the malts, with some faint herbal hops. Nothing exciting going on, but not bad. Low sweetness, low bitterness - rather woody. Malts and hops, you know the drill.

Taste again is pretty malty, though the bitterness picks up through the second half. Mildly bitter finish that gradually fades away. Malts are, again, rather nutty and woody.

Mouthfeel is fine, just like most things about this beer. Fine. Medium-bodied, a little heavier than expected, with enough carbonation.

This beer is fine, but it's pretty blah. It doesn't wow me with anything - no big flavors, no subtle complexity. It's just okay.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 01:42:29 | More by zeledonia

superspak

Michigan

3.15/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours fairly hazy and cloudy bright orange color with a nice 2 finger fairly dense khaki head with great retention that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Some spotty lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of light caramel, toasted malt, honey, bread, herbal hops, and light orange zest. Aromas are pretty weak, but have decent balance for what is there. Taste of biscuit, caramel, orange zest, herbal hops, earth, honey, toasted malt, and biscuit. Good amount of herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, biscuit, light citrus, and toasted malt for a bit. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy mouthfeel with a bit of prickly carbonation. Fairly crisp on the finish. Alcohol is well hidden with almost no warming present on the finish. Easily drinkable and smooth as well at 6%. Overall this is an ok amber ale. Probably a bit too old, as I have no idea how long it has been sitting on the store shelf when I bought it a few months ago. Pretty drinkable though.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 05:34:37 | More by superspak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.38/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

No dates on this label, pours a slightly hazed amber hue with a billowing khaki tan head, fine speckled lacing. Aroma has some caramel malts, nice cereal grains with slightly earthy pine hop notes. Flavor is sharp with a tart sour bread note with a harsh grainy husk note, and earthy hops coming through. Only $1.89 a bottle but this one has something going on that I'm not sure the brewer intended. Not the most drinkable or palatable amber I've come across however there's a nice fruitiness, with cereal grains and caramel notes coming together light herbal/earthy hops in the flavor. Not bad just needs some work in quality control, I'm not saying infection but there's something off here. Mouthfeel is medium bodied smooth mellow carbonation really nothing to complain about the texture. Overall like I said it may need tweaking or this bottle may not be as fresh as I would prefer there's no way of telling considering there's not bottling dates.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 19:44:51 | More by WVbeergeek

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clean orange-ish to amber color with a light tan head. In the aroma, a sweet caramel like roast. In the taste, a sticky sweet caramel like roast. A small bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a a bit sticky dry caramel like aftertaste. A bit sticky and big caramel, eh!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 15:29:41 | More by OWSLEY069

keeganfrank

Ohio

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer the color of dark tea with a thin, cream-colored head. Very little head formed even though I poured somewhat aggressively. Aromas of sweet citrus, caramel and bread. Tart, juicy citrus and sweet, spiced bread flavors. One of the better beers from this category I've had.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 21:35:20 | More by keeganfrank

BB1313

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a hazy copper, slightly transparent. Decent head with really nice lacing and retention. Lots of hops in the aromas. I'm picking up alot of orange and pine. I'm also picking up some chocolate and caramel malts. The taste is very bold and sharp. Very roasty and toasty. Lots of caramel. The hops are present in the flavors, but it doesn't taste overly bitter at all. More caramel and chocolate. Mouthfeel is nicely carbonated; very smooth. Wow, this is a really great beer.. this is one I could drink all day. Very impressive.

This is an excellent amber ale.. better than most I've had. I know alot of people might find ambers boring, but try this!

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 23:34:27 | More by BB1313

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I got this beer from Auslander. Thanks Chris!

12oz bottle served in a standard pint glass.

L - hazy copper color with a white head that thinned but still left a fair amount of lacing behind.

S - solid malt aroma, toasty and a little earthy.

T - malty flavors all the way through with some light bitterness on the finish.

F - medium bodied with good carbonation.

O - a pretty good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 04:47:21 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

billab914

Virginia

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle given to me in a mix of beers from a family friend from Ohio. It poured a darker amber color with a thin but frothy off-white head to it. Very nice lacing on the glass as I drank it as well.

The aroma has a nice zesty, slightly juicy hop profile to it. I get some notes of grapefruit and orange coming out in it and mixing with some sweeter, malty flavors. Very nice aroma to it overall.

The taste shows more of the maltiness with some toasty, and sweeter notes to it. Towards the finish I get a little more of the hoppiness starting to come out with a little of that juicy profile that came through in the nose.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall I thought it was a very flavorful and easy drinking beer. It had a very nice American hop profile but managed to stay pretty balanced and drinkable at the same time. Pretty solid beer all around.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 00:32:00 | More by billab914

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass.

3.0 A: Clear medium orange color with a tint of amber. Pour yielded just a touch of head that quickly fell, leaving no lacing.

3.0 S: Toasty with hints of caramel. That's about all I can say since the nose on this is so weak.

3.5 T: Lots of toastiness in the taste, however. Some caramel, but not much. Earthy and spicy hops. Maybe a bit grassy as well. Light neutral malt sweetness and a bit grainy.

3.5 M: Light to lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. This could be a lot creamier, but it goes down easy enough.

3.5 D: A quality, though run of the mill amber. I'm not sure why the nose on this was so weak, but it was.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 01:49:05 | More by DavoleBomb

akorsak

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle from The Andersons on Talmadge.

A: The amber ale is brown, sure enough. Its syrupy brown color is translucent. The first pour into my mini glass generated over a finger of eggshell head that is lacing nicely for a plastic cup.

S: A one-two punch of caramel and toffee drives the aroma. Full and sweet, the aromas caught me off guard. The malty thickness has a few barleywine characteristics to boot.

T: Syrupy and thick, this amber ale continues to verge towards barleywine territory. Definitely a plus in my book. Caramel and toffee remain evident to the taste, just taken up a notch or two. Vibrant hops, significantly stronger than the nose let on, add citrus to the sweet body. I'm surprised by this one, a good beer.

M: The mouthfeel is rich, stronger, fuller and more powerful than I was expecting. A good way to finish a long day. I really like that it comes perilously close to being a barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2011 00:10:06 | More by akorsak

Brenden

Ohio

4/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As this brew pours out, a hazy burnished copper color in my glass, the head beginning to develop looks at first like it may be a little too light and spritzy. It ends up developing a nice, frothy one finger tall with good retention that leaves good rings of lacing sporadically, especially thick at the top, and some legging as it drops down. One interesting note: the head seems just off-white at first, but what's left in the glass is definitely a pure white color. That may be just my eyes, and it doesn't make any difference, I just thought it was interesting.
Good things come off the nose: toast and caramel from malts mix with just a bit of hops that balance without detracting from the maltiness, and a light yeast presence with just the slightest touch of a dark fruits note.
The taste follows suit, though hops come out in greater force, a bit floral and lightly citric, giving this beer a pretty even contribution from both malt and hops in the flavor. A light spice kicks gently, yeast lingering, and the mild dark fruits just underneath, then the hops round it out.
The body is medium with a light carbonation. Crispness and smoothness mingle together. There's enough malt to keep it from being dry with enough hops to keep it from going to the other end of the spectrum, making this a solidly semi-dry.
I'd never heard of this brewery before I saw this on the shelf, and I'm glad I picked it up. I'll be looking for more from them in the future.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 02:04:58 | More by Brenden

Schneic8

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle to a mug.

Appearance: Has a deep caramel color with an off white head that seems to last. A fair amount of carbonation.

Smell: It has a slight sweetness with a touch of caramel. You can also smell the bitterness of the hops.

Taste: Sweet taste in the beginning that ends with a slight bitter aftertaste that lasts. I also catch toffee/caramel with a strong hoppiness.

Mouthfeel: Slight crispness from the carbonation but very creamy and smooth. It goes down easy and sits well. Medium body.

Drinkability: Very nice beer that is easy to drink. The smoothness of the beer is very appealing. It has a nice favor but I find the mild bitter after taste a little too much. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2011 23:01:36 | More by Schneic8

chilidog

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well enjoyed this Amber ale. It poured an amber orange with a good off-white head, fair lace.

Aroma of sweet toasted malts.

Taste of roasted malts, hints of brown sugar with a well balanced hop.

Drinks very smooth. Going to this brewers area soon. I hope to catch thisone on tapp.

Overall very well done red amber. Glad they are expanding thier distribution. Will buy again.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 20:08:51 | More by chilidog

hosehead83

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass. Deep copper/amber in color, with a moderate head of off-white foam.
Aroma-Toasted malt, caramel note.
Taste-Big dose of toasted malt, sweet-buttered bread. Sweet English malts. A nice cool weather brew. Good match for a meaty pasta dish.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2011 17:27:50 | More by hosehead83

daliandragon

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This review is conducted from notes from a few weeks back when I was visiting my old college buddy Nate in Dayton and wanted to try some local suds. Unfortunately, Nate, although a great guy, is kind of a troglodyte in that he literally has no glasses of any kind and drinks solely out of plastic cups so I used a mason jar for this review. Slightly ghetto, but there you go.

Five years ago, also while visiting Nate, I had a growler of MC's stout and remember being impressed. As this was also a formidable brew, I'm surprised these guys don't get a little more recognition.

Poured a bright amber color with minimal head and lots of visible carbonation. Giant candy smell with syrup or some over the top sweetness and underlying citrus hops. Taste is bready, earthy malts offset by a pleasant bitterness. All hops in the finish. This is a satisfying, juiced up version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 03:22:45 | More by daliandragon

hustlesworth

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- pours a hazy unfiltered looking orange-red-amber with an unimpressive creamy off white head. the foam is dense alright, but gave me none of the tell tale great beer signs like texture and expansion that i usually look for. let's see if i'm wrong. score for nice body, demerit for terrible head. lace is nice with solid rings.

S- aroma dumps on the look, with a sweet fruity malty grainy roasty earthy blend of brown sugar, burnt cookies, cocoa, almost coconut, weak coffee, and apple pie. resinous hops come through underneath all the dark desserts with an oily citrus kick.

T- heavy odd malt burnt tomato flavor makes me wish this was more like a west coast red. the website's claim for a complex hop finish is somewhat misleading, as there is too much residual sugar to let the hoppy complexities really push through. it's more of an underlying lemony orange character that is moderately bitter from start to finish. the lack of zesty pungency makes this malt bomb sit heavy on the palate, reminding me of a hopped up ohio irish red. finishes with robust grain character and fading hop bitterness, the malty sweet lasting on and on until it's gone with some bitterness still stuck behind my wisdom teeth.

MF- heavy and thick, the alcohol showing an immediate dryness. carbonation is pumped up and vigorous and totally keeps this one from being a syrupy mess. this is on the heavy end of the style.

D- this beer has a little too much happening at once and never achieves a real balance nor does it favor one pan on the scale. the malt is too heavy and the hops are trying to overcompensate and if everything was backed off a little, i feel that FOR ME, this would be an enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 08:02:46 | More by hustlesworth

Natural510

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, no dating. Cute countryside artwork on label.

Pours a medium amber-bronze with light ring of lacing on the glass.

Scent is sweet & fruity, with hints of breaded malt.

Malt-forward flavor, with creeping bitterness toward the finish. Sweet & spicy, with hints of strawberry, molasses & cinnamon.

Body is in-line with the style, with a bit of a creamy, syrup-like mouthfeel.

Good amber offering; on the sweet side, but hop bitterness balances it out somewhat. Cincinnati needs more breweries like this.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 17:29:13 | More by Natural510

despainmakesbeer

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cream color 1/4" head at pour. Rich dark reddish amber color, mostly clear it but has a slight haze. Nice sweet malty aroma, not in your face though, slightly subtle. Maybe a cherry hint to aroma. With warmth, aroma becomes sweeter. A deep but bright, malty character to beginning. Slight fruity character with a little bitto malt on end. Very clean finish. Good level of carbonation for style. Jello character to flavor end of drink. Good flavor to drink, definitely on the sweeter side. Very faint hint of the "complex hop finish" it claims to have, not super dry or bitter but again at a good level for this one. Does have a great mouthfeel, thin and drinkable without a super lingering aftertaste. Nice at the least.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 03:38:29 | More by despainmakesbeer

CooperEllis

New York

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz into tulip. From raznug.

This brew poured half foam, not billowy, dense, and then quickly disapated....

The armoa is heavy with green apple/grapefruit.

Flavor is quite fruity with a bit of malt underneath. There is a lot of carbonation, which brings a bit of the tart fruit flavor up front. Sweetgrass finish.

Solid mouthfeel, a little bit of a bitterness that lingers.

(20th)

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 01:03:26 | More by CooperEllis

LyonsHead

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: cloudy, redish orange with a good off-white head, nice lacing

S: Wonderfully balanced with a sweet, caramel malt backbone, yeasty, fresh bread notes as well. All of this lays underneath an earthy, piney, hop nose.

T: malty sweetness right off the bat with big caramel flavor. there is a subdued toastiness with a little fresh bread character as well. All of this is very well balanced with an earthy, piney, floral, hop flavor. very well done in my opinion

M: Medium light body, may be a little sharp on carbonation, but not bad. finishes pretty sweet, for me I'd like to see them dry it out a bit more

D:Very good recipe, I think this beer has excellent ballance. it loses points in the carbonation and the finish. If they could bring this down a couple of gravity pts it would raise the drinkability and make this a killer example in my opinion

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2010 18:35:00 | More by LyonsHead

kirok1999

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours clear amber/red with a massive, and I mean massive rocky white head. I could only get half the bottle in my 16oz'er. The head lasted way too long for me and it made the beer a bit hard to drink. Smell was pretty mild, sweet and full of caramel with some mild hop notes of citrus.
Taste was much stronger than the smell. Sweet and dark with notes of wood and dark fruit. Lingering dark aftertaste. It's highly carbonated and that also makes it a bit difficult to drink, It fizzes up in the mouth way too much.
Not a bad tasting beer but the over the top carbonation hurts it quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 00:39:44 | More by kirok1999