North Star Amber - Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

tigg924

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap 1/31 at the Boston location

Appearance: clear, amber, minimal head, medium carbonation

Smell: toasted malt and caramel

Taste: toasted malt, caramel, and some hops towards the end..some grains

Mouthfeel: moderate carbonation, medium/light body, semi-sweet

Drinkability: very average amber in every way. Nothing is offensive about this beer, but nothing jumps out either. It is balanced and hits the marks. I will probably look for other beers there.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2010 17:22:59 | More by tigg924

ski271

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Dark amber with a small, slightly off-white, slowly diminishing, thin-feeling head. Good lacing.

Smell: Moderate to heavily malty with scents of molasses and caramel up front. Hops are a bit lighter, adding a citrus spiciness to the aroma. But it’s the very good malts that take center stage here and are most noteworthy.

Taste: A little more grainy that I expected, but still quite good. Caramel, citrus rind, and hints of charcoal (that wasn’t expected!). Different.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, watery texture, soft carbonation.

Drinkability: This was a pleasant beer… but it was also a little bit lacking. Too thin and weak in flavor. But highly sessionable. Not one of my favorites, but I appreciate how it is different from your average cookie-cutter amber.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2005 15:57:37 | More by ski271

genaro

Massachusetts

1.6/5  rDev -54.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I had this at the Braintree, Ma. location. The color was dark amber with traces of gold. The head was small and vanished rather quickly. There was no lace.The carbonation was good. The aroma was yeasty, citrusy, and a bit sour. The taste was yeasty, sour, and astringent with some caramel taste. The finish was bitter and dry. There was almost a complete lack of sweetness and mellowness that I expect in an Amber ale. It seemed to be a case of "We all put the yeast in". It was an unpleasant beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2004 15:17:26 | More by genaro

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is not a style I normally drink..amber just doens't sound all that exciting, but I thought what the heck. The pour was...dark amber. The aroma was of alcohol and grain. I found the taste to be a mix of malty sweetness, with some slight bitterness. It had a medium mouthfeel and tight carbonation. Nothing to get excited about, but not horrible either. pat

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2003 16:06:24 | More by PatandDavid

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

4.03/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Drank in Braintree, MA. It pours a deep amber with nice sturdy off white head and loads of sticky lace. A really malty aroma with hints of pears and citrus is quite pleasant. Sweet caramel is upfront, while fresh baked bread and hint of fruity flavors linger in the background. A light lime-like bitterness and faintly metallic tang offer some balance. This amber is a bit drier than most. A very good session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2003 14:06:33 | More by BeerResearcher

oberon

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured a straight clear amber color with medium head that left some lace.Very roasty chocolate aroma with some spice to it,I liked the complexity to the aroma.Taste was of roasted malt and milk chocolate to me almost lactic aftertaste wich wasnt bad.This intensly roasted amber for me is good to have one or two but more than that may be a litle overpowering for my taste.Real well made beer though,I also had this cask-conditioned and ejoyed it even more.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2003 12:42:19 | More by oberon

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at the Harvard Square brewpub.

This amber ale poured a clear, reddish amber color with white foam. The smell was weakly malty. The taste was mostly caramel malt and some hops. The mouthfeel was clean but flat. The drinkability was OK. With a bit more carbonation, this one would be improved.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2003 21:21:27 | More by UncleJimbo

beernut7

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice deep amber color with a foamy off-white head. The aroma is malty with a small hint of spice. The flavor is mellow and smooth with malt being the predominant characteristic. A light bitterness and spice comes out toward the end of the barrel it was served in. Quite drinkable and well balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2003 09:03:45 | More by beernut7

Todd

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at the Boston location ... the cask version is incredible in comparison! Very akin to a traditional Enlgish ale. Sooo smooth, malty and full-bodied. I enjoyed the fact that the wheat flavours where subdued, allowing the malt to shine. Nice underlining bready character too. We need more cask ales like this.

Serving type: cask

08-10-2002 08:45:11 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep amber hue with a wispy off white lace, Malt sweetness and toasty overtones mark the aroma and flavour. Moderate body and meek in any kind of whole flavour. Shy hop bitterness rounds out more towards the end. Faint wheat twang from start to finish. Decent but probably not something I’d order again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2002 07:32:55 | More by Jason