Cambridge Amber - Cambridge Brewing Company

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Cambridge Brewing

A: The beer pours dark amber in color with a finger of off-white head.

S: Strong toasted malt and toffee aromas, quite a bit of bread to it, too. Just a very, very light hop aroma to this, mostly floral in nature. A few notes of red fruits, maple a bit of sweet apple, too.

T: The flavor is fairly similar with a very faint hop profile. Some floral notes with a light bitterness. Some toasted malt and bread as well as the toffee flavors.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: Fairly simple/basic/plain amber ale. Not bad in anyway, but it didn't do much for me either.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2011 21:35:15 | More by womencantsail

brentk56

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Arrives with a surprisingly dark amber color topped by a modest head that leaves a few dots of lace

Smell: Caramel dominant, with a bit of fruit underneath

Taste: The fruit leads off, with tones of apple and fig; caramel elements underpin the fruity character; an earthy hop character emerges, after the swallow, keeping the sweetness in check through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A well made amber - what more can I say

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2011 09:27:12 | More by brentk56

brewerdrew

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Overall a very comfortable beer that is great for bellying up to the bar (as I did) for a session of drinking.

For those who enjoy an relativly well balanced respectable amber ale this is definietly one to try.

It truly represnts this style well. Cheers !!

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2010 00:45:48 | More by brewerdrew

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

from day one of the CBC 20th anniversary party on may 8, 2009.

dark coppery amber, almost brown. gem clear. thin but constant, creamy head. amazing lace.

aroma: fruity apple esters, caramelized toasted malt, lots of yeasty, bready aroma, with leafy, grassy english hopping. metallic whiff.

taste: toasted bready malt w caramel, though a touch watery. quickly meets with powerful yeastiness, and lots of british hops - grassy and leafy, with moderate resinous bitterness. esters and more yeast in the finish.

light to medium body, slightly watery again, but smooth with light resins in finish. mild to moderate tingle from carbonation.

yeast character is definitely just a bit more than i'd like. remains drinkable though.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2009 05:23:00 | More by tai4ji2x

Durge

Connecticut

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass at Grendel's den in Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA) this shows a dark copper color with little but a ring of off-white foam and fair lacing. The aroma is weak but hints malt and sharp herbal hops. The flavor is pretty weak too and offers a whimpy feel with very light carbonation, but I again pick up the sweet malt and some ginger and chocolate perhaps. But it's all pretty thin and uninspiring. There is a sour apple background but it doesn't help much. It's drinkable enough but I wouldn't bother most likely. Passable but disappointing. Perhaps this keg was a little long in the tooth?

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2008 01:00:19 | More by Durge

Patrick

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: A dark amber with some hints of ruby. Not a great pour, but the head was off white.

S: Very sweet smelling. Lots of caramel, almost no hop scent at all.

T: Very sweet, mostly with caramel, some vanilla, toffee too. Very nice, not very bitter.

M: Well carbonated, smooth, a little sticky at the end.

D: I could have this beer on occasion but it is a bit too sweet for everyday drinking.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2008 02:17:55 | More by Patrick

Hojaminbag

Colorado

2.98/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Not really amber colored, more brown with ruby highlights. Slight white head.

Smells malty.

Tastes malty too, caramel and molasses. Very little if any hop character.

Mouthfeel is pretty solid and basic.

I gave drinkability a low score since I didn't want another after the first one.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2008 17:15:03 | More by Hojaminbag

dbalsock

Vermont

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I've had this a few times, and it's varied with each. The first time it was amazingly sweet with an overbalance of malts, that was a few months ago. This time it was much more balanced, but the taste still seemed off. The hops predominated slightly, which I found a little off, and the bitterness was more than I expected. The beer was auburn, if I remember correctly... and if I know that color correctly, and the head has consistently been nonexistent. The smell has always been interesting and intricate, but unable to carry over to the taste, which I find is a rare, and unwelcome, achievement.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2006 01:24:06 | More by dbalsock

kmo1030

Massachusetts

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

brown with ruby higlights and a decent tan head. amber?
the aroma is sort of chocolate chip cookie-like, with some grassy hops thrown in. i would say more, but that about sums it up for me.
it has a nice rich malty taste for an amber. it's got a little more balls than many of the ambers i'm used to. roasted malts, chocolate, caramel, a nit of diactyl on occasion, and herbal hop bitterness balances. very nice.
medium body with moderate carbonation.
good drinkability, would make a good session beer. i would drink this more at CBC, but there are so many better beers to try. a solid beer though make no mistake.

Serving type: growler

03-16-2006 23:08:55 | More by kmo1030

twelvsies

Maine

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is how I like my ambers. A great example of the style I think. This is a style that can be great but rarely is. I find lots of so-called ambers lacking that defining rich character. This one was plenty flavorful though. Appears a deep dark red color, not really "amber" at all. A nice foamy head rides on top and sticks around for a while. This one is full of malty character with just enough balance of spicy hops. Very doughy, bready, slightly nutty, and sweet. There's a really nicely subtle powdery coco flavor to it. Lots going on, but still a very simple yet pleasing beer. This is one I could sit around a drink all night for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

12-12-2005 23:53:38 | More by twelvsies

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On-tap at the brewpub during an impromptu dinner celebration tonite. Poured a mahogany brown with nary any head. Fairly well carbonated which was noticeable in the feel. Medium body. Nose was malty with some boscuits but some hops were peaking there way in the back. Not as malty tasting as I expected but the hop additions were noticeble more biting than other samplings of the style I have tried. Oddly tin-tasting though which has never happened with a CBC before. The hops made this very drinkable and was a nice interpretation of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2005 01:58:29 | More by MuddyFeet

RBorsato

Virginia

2.25/5  rDev -40.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Tasted On-Tap 10/01/05 at the CBC in Cambridge, MA.

Mahogany in color with a light beige ringed head. Unfortunately everything goes downhill after the appearance... a buttery diacetyl aroma and flavor dominates over everything else. Light-medium bodied.

One was too many and this is the one to skip at CBC -- at least the Heather Ale was interesting.... This tastes nothing like described on their website. Bummer.

Per CBC website:
OG: 1.048 FG: 1.012 ABV: 4.7%

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2005 17:23:47 | More by RBorsato

Truh

New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Punted about with this one on 2/12/2005. 16-oz. pour in a shaker at Grendel's.

Fecund initial head that shimmies and shakes down to a film of gloss with some sticking. Guess I'd say deep amber hue, but more approaching a medium mahogany with low clarity, like the bottom of a scrummed up lake. Sweet molasses and slight chalkiness on nose, with a bit of a malt exoskeleton. Buttery malt on mouth with a trailing hop bite and sweet treacle crank. Clears quickly, other than the bit of hop. One for the masses.

Serving type: on-tap

02-13-2005 16:34:26 | More by Truh

guinness33

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a good brew, but as ambers go, this ones probably slightly above middle of the road status. it pours a crisp amber colour with a slight head that sort of lingers a bit, but not for long. the smell was more malt than hop and more sweet than earthy. basic but decent overall. flavour was a smooth maltiness with some sweet tomes mixed in here and there and a touch of hop bitterness at the finish. earth flavour is kept to a minimum but is present. not much more to say about this one other than it's decent if your looking for a simple brew. if you want something more daring or flavourful, look elsewhere, as i'm sure the cbc will have something interesting on.

Serving type: on-tap

10-25-2004 03:15:37 | More by guinness33

rousee

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this at Grendel's in Harvard square on-tap on 10/16/04. I have been to Grendel's probably a dozen or so times but not in the last 12 months. They had CBC amber then and they still have it now. I only wish they had the Golden instead.

Pours a deep brown caramel color--definitely more brown than red as amber might suggest. No problem though because the appearance is not really whats important about this beer. It is all about balance.

Balance of fresh grassiness and malt and hops on the nose and very balanced of the same on the palate too. This is just a great very drinkable beer. Has some elements of biscuit that their Golden does-- just not as pronounced.
Extremely drinkable and a pleasant dry mouthfeel.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2004 13:38:31 | More by rousee

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap at CBC, and was I surprised, the color was a clear Irish Setter Red. Ok I wasn't surprised. Low to no head. I thought the aroma was 100% malt, and the taste was also almost all bready malt in flavor. Smooth and easy to drink, would make a good session beer for a pro.

Serving type: on-tap

07-04-2004 17:29:21 | More by PatandDavid

waughbrew

Massachusetts

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Very clear amber, small head with good retention. Cocoa powder in the nose with a good blend of fruitiness and spicy hops. Big grape esters. Flavor is caramel and roastiness with some acidity. Finishes herbal and dry with hop flavor lingering. Feel is tingly from the hops and the acidity. Pretty nice beer with both malt and hops making a good showing - just could use a better feel.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2004 14:28:48 | More by waughbrew

gentlebubbles

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

on cask at Bukowski's Cambridge

What a thick, yeasty-looking head! And it just hangs in there and hangs it there, leaving plenty of spume on the glass. The beer itself is a dark honey color, coppery and translucent, with a glint of gold at the bottom.

After the piney pure hops scent, I could swear it tastes like hashish! Piney, musky, smokey, earthy. But it's very hard to make out the malt in there, just a suggestion at the base.

The main flaw is the thin body. It's almost flat. I wonder if the cask is nearing its end. It's damned easy to drink though, so easy I felt like I had ony had one beer after two and casually ordered a third, even though it's not the most amazing beer I've ever had.

Serving type: cask

05-22-2004 14:39:04 | More by gentlebubbles

AllThingsNinja

Massachusetts

4.58/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I enjoyed this draught at the Elephant Walk in Brookline. The deep garnet color was gorgeous, but it was served with little discernable head. he sweet malt aroma served as an invitation to the most complex and rewarding amber that I have sampled. There's a strong malt nose, a piney hop middle, and a smooth malt finish. This beer has body, flavor, and is quite drinkable. It's a phenomenal brew that I am pleased to see spread around the area.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2004 12:52:15 | More by AllThingsNinja

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This amber ale poured a deep, dark red amber color with slightly tan foam. The color was very nice. The smell was faint and malty. The taste was rich and malty with moderate carbonation. There was a touch of caramel and toffee in the taste, and a bit of hop character in the finish. The mouthfeel was smooth and creamy and clean. Very easy to drink! Very well done for its style, in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2003 11:53:30 | More by UncleJimbo

bewareOFpenguin

Massachusetts

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

Grabbed a few "swigs" from my wife's glass. Nice amber color, not much bite, good malt, just a good drinking beer. It went down good with the food I was drinking. Although I am not an "amber" man, I could certainly drink this again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2002 10:59:05 | More by bewareOFpenguin

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.63/5  rDev -31%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Their amber is exactly what you expect - deep amber red color, hops are up front and dry, hoppy after taste. Minimum carbonation and no head to speak of. No detectable sweetness.
The ABV has dropped to 4.7%.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2002 16:31:45 | More by jdhilt

StevieW

Florida

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark copper color. Rich creamy beige head. Maltly sweet, carmel aromas. Very inviting beer so far. Nice malty sweet taste is better than expected. Rich creamy feel, I really like this one. Impressed they make have this one everyday for the last 4 years. Medium feel, nice malty sweetness lingers, but doesn't bother me. I would have this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2002 14:35:17 | More by StevieW

beernut7

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One of the best tapped ambers around, the dark copper color hints at the full bodied roasted character found with the first quaff of the brew. The ncie light malty finish just makes the mouth water for the next pint.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2002 14:35:13 | More by beernut7

Jason

Massachusetts

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

On tap and served in an American Pint tumbler. Tarnished copper with a reddish hue against the light sparkles with brightness and holds a thick tiny bubbled lace on top. Soft and sweet maltiness with a caramel backing in the aroma and flavour. Hop bitterness balances the sweetness well without getting in the way. Creamy and smooth with hints of sweet bread. The finish stays a tad sweet and stays damn drinkable all they way through the pint.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2002 05:36:38 | More by Jason