Mission Amber - Mission Brewery

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice fluffy 1 finger head that fades at a med pace but is reinforced by many bubbles rising from the bottom, light lacing, mostly clear amber orange color with bits of sediment floating.

Nose is a basic amber, light toasty reddish malts, copper, crystal malts but very little caramel, aromatic malt with a light toasty straw pilsner like malt. Hints of grassy hops.

Taste brings more hops, which aren't the dominant flavor but notable enough to mention first. Grassy and earthy hops bring a bigger bitter bite, (love alliteration) with a light orange rind taste as well. The malts still take the show initially, plenty of toasty reddish malts, light copper malts, and plenty of caramel this time with even a hint of toffee. Smooth with a light floral aromatic feel that adds nicely to it and hint of acidic bite. Finish is fairly bitter as the hops really ramp with the drier finish, with a bitter orange rind hop finish and a bit of caramel malts.

Mouth is med to slightly lighter bodied, good carb.

Overall pretty good, much better than the blonde IMO, this brings a nice malt profile with a nice hop kick balanced well, a dry not sticky finish with a big bitter ramp up and light acidic bite that surprisingly makes my mouth water when the sip is gone.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 12:36:41 | More by jlindros

JLapadura

New York

2.25/5  rDev -34.4%

06-09-2013 14:56:56 | More by JLapadura

SPRichard

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

05-29-2013 21:38:32 | More by SPRichard

MickeyMonk

Arizona

3/5  rDev -12.5%

05-29-2013 19:50:00 | More by MickeyMonk

pin

Australia

4/5  rDev +16.6%

05-28-2013 20:33:14 | More by pin

laituegonflable

Australia

3.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich red colour, not as vibrant as an American red maybe. Head is beiege, OK when poured but dissipated to a thin ring of lace. Looks alright.

Smells sweet, malty. Touch of roast but lots of caramel, toffee, touch of pumpkin even. Notes of citric hop floating over the top gives it an American edge. Quite nice, not sure if it's true to the mission statement though (no pun intended).

Taste is more what I expect from an altbier. Roasty, but lightly. Malt-driven with some grain soup characters, a touch of earthiness, sour clove spice and some noble hop bitterness at the back. Earthy, kind of woody notes finish up. Nicely balance, pretty to-style and well-made alt.

Nice body, but there's a fair bit of fizz to it that shouldn't really be there.

Nice altbier. Drinks like a hearty mid-season brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 02:49:13 | More by laituegonflable

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

technically an altbier, I already like this because we need more of these in the usa. however, this one is less than stellar. brick red with a decent off white head and decent carbonation. im picking up aromas of dry red malt, german caramel grains, and the aroma of a well toasted everything bagel. the flavor is pleasantly not sweet at all. the grains come through a little stale, and there needs to be some more hops so balance things out, but the dryness and relative lack of residual sugar for the style is a welcomed respite from the droves of sugary reds out there today. a nice almost oaty smoothness to this, but the carbonation dies a little and the beer gets a tad heavy for that reason. the finish is the best part, clean and dry, but still full of flavor, exactly as the style dictates. its not a flawless alt by any stretch, but this is a step in the right direction for American brewers. now that ive covered the basic mission lineup, I think they are a little all over the place, but might be on to something with their slight twists on mass appeal styles. I will keep checking out their beers as they come in.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 14:56:14 | More by StonedTrippin

philaduffia

New York

4.25/5  rDev +23.9%

05-11-2013 04:04:07 | More by philaduffia

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.85/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours copper with a very small off-white head.
Rich malty aroma, lots of toasty and nutty malt. Tempting.
Similar flavours, loads of nutty malt and caramel making for a very moreish drop.
Low carbonation. Could be a little higher.
Very easy-drinking stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 01:27:27 | More by CrazyDavros

dwagner003

California

3.5/5  rDev +2%

03-27-2013 15:35:08 | More by dwagner003

GaryMarkle84

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

03-23-2013 01:04:01 | More by GaryMarkle84

raythealeman

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev +2%

03-22-2013 00:25:55 | More by raythealeman

AnitaBrewski

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

03-07-2013 05:39:05 | More by AnitaBrewski

BrewCaveDweller

Nebraska

4/5  rDev +16.6%

02-14-2013 02:22:34 | More by BrewCaveDweller

BugTownPub

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +16.6%

02-12-2013 04:40:45 | More by BugTownPub

OriolesFan1008

Maryland

3/5  rDev -12.5%

02-06-2013 15:43:34 | More by OriolesFan1008

hpthebull

California

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

01-26-2013 15:45:40 | More by hpthebull

muskiesman

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

01-19-2013 23:58:15 | More by muskiesman

AndrewMichael

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +2%

01-05-2013 21:15:57 | More by AndrewMichael

Fossilhunter

California

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

12-17-2012 00:29:46 | More by Fossilhunter

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - I give it a 3.5 since I drank it from the bottle. Carbonation seems good enough.

S - Fairly good alt bier it smells of caramel malts an a mild twang of hops.

T - Not bad has sort of a lingering bitterness but good caramel and biscuit background.

M - Light to medium body.

Overall sessionable but forgettable this beer was decent.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 20:04:19 | More by DrDemento456

t0rin0

California

2.5/5  rDev -27.1%

11-04-2012 03:46:01 | More by t0rin0

alejandro

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +23.9%

11-04-2012 02:35:47 | More by alejandro

Newkie

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev +9.3%

10-18-2012 19:25:53 | More by Newkie

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked up this beer in Totowa, not knowing if this would be more like an Amber or an Altbier. It certainly wasn't the former in any way and it went down just a bit too easily to be considered a good example of the latter. While this won't offend anyone, there's not a lot to take away from this afterwards.

The pour was a decent almond hue with some head and virtually no lacing. Not a lot of carbonation here either and this was one of the clearest beers that I've had in some time. The creaminess and malts reminded me of a Vienna Lager and there was quite a toasted aspect to the mouthfeel. Lots of bread in the aftertaste with a bit of caramel to the malt but that didn't last long either. I haven't had a lot of Altbiers but given how smooth they tend to be, this one could have broken a mold just a wee bit and stood out more.

Thankfully, this would make for a good session beer as there wasn't a lot of alcohol here and this went down easily. While not the best offering from Mission, this is worth a go once since more examples of this style need to be on store shelves. Just don't look for anything deep or fancy here.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 20:58:44 | More by JerzDevl2000