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MacTarnahan's Amber Ale
Portland Brewing Company
- From:
- Portland Brewing Company
- Oregon, United States
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 5.1%
- Score:
- 79
- Avg:
- 3.46 | pDev: 12.43%
- Reviews:
- 152
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 06, 2021
- Added:
- Jul 11, 2001
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 20
32 IBU
Malts: 2 Row Pale, Caramel
Hops: Cascade
Still called MacTarnahan's Amber Ale.
Malts: 2 Row Pale, Caramel
Hops: Cascade
Still called MacTarnahan's Amber Ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by katybee:
Reviewed by katybee from Oregon
2.95/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.95/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
translucent light amber yellow, and 1/2' head of quickly dissipating creamy foam tracing the rim of the glass.
very minimal smell, trace hops
mildly pungent dry-hopped taste of peppery cascade hops with light lemony overtones; dry, delicate bitter taste with no real bready or malty tones I could detect. Only very slightly sweet.
Light bodied, tingly
Thirst quenching, but not exactly memorable, nor a beer you'd "sip"...
Jun 01, 2011very minimal smell, trace hops
mildly pungent dry-hopped taste of peppery cascade hops with light lemony overtones; dry, delicate bitter taste with no real bready or malty tones I could detect. Only very slightly sweet.
Light bodied, tingly
Thirst quenching, but not exactly memorable, nor a beer you'd "sip"...
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Look: Opaque light amber in color with a frothy off-white head that slowly recedes to a pillow on top and leaving good lacing behind
Aroma: Bread-driven malt, earthiness, some caramel, light floral notes, and cereal grains
Taste: Floral hops and freshly baked bread start it off and hold center stage for a bit before being joined by some caramel, grain notes, and earthiness. Bready malt and earthy notes dominate and hold through the finish
Mouthfeel: Full, medium-high carbonation, and a little sharp on the finish from the carbonation
Overall: I dig it. Although nothing about this beer is outstanding, it is solid for what it is – a reasonably priced and easy-to-find Amber ale. It’s also one of the first handful of microbrews I ever had that helped shape me to becoming the beer geek and advocate I am today. A Pacific Northwest classic and glad I got to have one last dance with it as Portland Brewing just shut their doors permanently in the last week
Jan 17, 2021Aroma: Bread-driven malt, earthiness, some caramel, light floral notes, and cereal grains
Taste: Floral hops and freshly baked bread start it off and hold center stage for a bit before being joined by some caramel, grain notes, and earthiness. Bready malt and earthy notes dominate and hold through the finish
Mouthfeel: Full, medium-high carbonation, and a little sharp on the finish from the carbonation
Overall: I dig it. Although nothing about this beer is outstanding, it is solid for what it is – a reasonably priced and easy-to-find Amber ale. It’s also one of the first handful of microbrews I ever had that helped shape me to becoming the beer geek and advocate I am today. A Pacific Northwest classic and glad I got to have one last dance with it as Portland Brewing just shut their doors permanently in the last week
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
3.5/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
a classic first generation sort of craft beer that has somehow not crossed my path until now. it definitely tastes old school, a clearish light copper color with a short white head from the tap, a beer built for a shaker pint, and that is how it is served to me. smells a little sweet, but also oddly hoppy, slight pine and apparent bitterness are unexpected but welcome. the flavor is a little tired to me, like maybe its been on tap awhile, and the malt is lighter than a lot of amber types of this era are or were, and i am surprised by the pervasive hoppiness, not ipa level or anything, but this is definitely on the hoppy side for an amber, more robust overall than most even with a pretty mild malt side. i get something from the yeast too, perhaps a well tamed english strain, slightly bready to me, old worldy in a good way, this might be a little boring without it. i think this beer represents a bygone era to some extent, but its versatile and sturdy and somewhat better than its ratings, even though i wasnt immediately thirsty for another one. a little slice of living history...
Sep 18, 2020Reviewed by BeerCartographer from Oregon
4.21/5 rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.21/5 rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Smooth as hell. Starts off a bit hoppy, but becomes sweeter & maltier the more it warms up. The smell is also very malty, and pleasant! An appropriate amount of head to complement its smoothness.
Dec 24, 2019Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.45/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.45/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Man we're really cranking out the reviews of the 90s beers this week. I'm of the opinion this is/was their flagship beer, it was everywhere about 20 years ago.
Poured a familiar dark red with an off white 1/3" head with good retention and lacing. She looks nice. Aroma smacked of Cascade hops = grapefruit rind. This is a beer similar to Nugget Nectar, but you know, not as good (so much for being a homer). Had all the crystal malt smells.
Taste, seems like they took the SNPA recipe and melded it with a Cascade hopped Killians. Its sticky, malty, slightly bitter, hoppy, bready caramel on a stick. Has that red ale meets bitter wood mouth feel and aftertaste.
The beer might be pase these days but it was instrumental in the PacNW development in the 90s. Another beer worth having around when you aren't doing Chicago pours and just wanna relax and enjoy the outdoors or whatever it is you do when not nerding out on beer or whatever the trend cause is you're floating these days.
Dec 19, 2019Poured a familiar dark red with an off white 1/3" head with good retention and lacing. She looks nice. Aroma smacked of Cascade hops = grapefruit rind. This is a beer similar to Nugget Nectar, but you know, not as good (so much for being a homer). Had all the crystal malt smells.
Taste, seems like they took the SNPA recipe and melded it with a Cascade hopped Killians. Its sticky, malty, slightly bitter, hoppy, bready caramel on a stick. Has that red ale meets bitter wood mouth feel and aftertaste.
The beer might be pase these days but it was instrumental in the PacNW development in the 90s. Another beer worth having around when you aren't doing Chicago pours and just wanna relax and enjoy the outdoors or whatever it is you do when not nerding out on beer or whatever the trend cause is you're floating these days.
Rated by davidward from Florida
3/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A decent red ale but nothing special.
Jul 20, 2017Reviewed by poisoneddwarf from Idaho
3.64/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.64/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
2009 backlog. 22 oz bottle. Smells...hoppy. A little strange for an amber. I was expecting a more malty aroma. Also smells of citrus. Pours deep copper with a decent head, decent lacing. Tasting: more like a pale (in the Sierra Nevada tradition) than any amber I’ve had. The hops clearly overpower the malt. I like hops more than malt, but given that this is labelled as an amber, I think it’s a bit...confused. Maybe it should just come out of the closet and admit that it’s a pale.
Jun 17, 2017Rated by fizzician from Illinois
3.8/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.8/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Fine, but a bit bland...probably not worth a repeat.
Sep 19, 2016Reviewed by NastyNorseman from New York
3.24/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.24/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Thick cream colored head good lacing until finished. A deep amber color, smells of some malt, some hops. Tastes a little weak, something feels lacking here. Touch of hops and touch of malt with a faint caramel addition along with some fruits. Finishes quickly with little left to savor or long for. Lacking pop and uniqueness to make it stand out among Ambers. Light-medium finish a little too sweet for my liking, balance a little off. Overall, nimpressive. Feels thrown together in the kitchen without the necessary, refining tender love and care.
Sep 09, 2016Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle in Oregon.
Deep amber colored body with an excellent head.
More hops than malts in both the aroma and the flavor. Mildly bitter.
Fruity hops with a faint bready background.
Medium-light body.
Jul 29, 2016Deep amber colored body with an excellent head.
More hops than malts in both the aroma and the flavor. Mildly bitter.
Fruity hops with a faint bready background.
Medium-light body.
MacTarnahan's Amber Ale from Portland Brewing Company
Beer rating:
79 out of
100 with
259 ratings
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