Mavericks Amber Ale - Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.69/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #63 (Apr 2012):

LOOK: Hazed amber, impressive froth

SMELL: Dried grass, hazelnuts, chalky yeast, faint caramel, faint spice, browned apples

TASTE: Grainy, slightly tart, salty, grassy, citric hop, leafy, caramel, buttery yeast, ripe apples & pears; very dry, grainy finish

More of an old-school Amber Ale that seems to have been lost in translation. Thankfully, we speak Old-World microbrew, and understand balance and nuances are sometimes more important than using immaculate yeast and over-hopping. Nothing earth shattering here, just good drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 00:26:59 | More by BeerAdvocate

DoubleJ

California

3.08/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at the CIty Pub in Redwood City. On to the beer:

Dark amber colored with a tint of autumn brown. Reasonably lace sticks to the glass as it is consumed. The nose offers toffee and butterscotch notes, and some floral hopping. Fine so far.

The malt in the taste seems light. In fact, the overall taste seems light, but at least it offers complexity. Toast, subtle toffee, esters, touches of tea and floral hops. The beer is light bodied and in parts it seems to get watery.

It's an okay amber ale. Good to wash down lunch, and that is perhaps its greatest strength.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2012 04:20:58 | More by DoubleJ

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -6%

10-10-2012 02:37:40 | More by t0rin0

g35rider

3.75/5  rDev +17.6%

06-27-2012 22:07:09 | More by g35rider

Gaberose

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

06-21-2012 00:33:15 | More by Gaberose

PintPal

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev +9.7%

03-17-2012 05:42:51 | More by PintPal

ngeunit1

California

3.53/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a fairly clear red color with a touch of brown mixed in and a finger of frothy tan-brown head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lace spots in the process.

S - Sweet rich lightly toasted caramel malts with a bit of citrus hops alongside. There is a touch of bread as well in the background.

T - Starts off with rich sweet lightly toasted caramel malts that have a touch of a syrupy element to them. There is a bit of orange and grapefruit hops alongside with just a hint of bitterness. Through the middle, the syrupy flavor starts to mellow out a bit and a bit more orange from the hops comes through. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel malts and a bit of citrus hop and bitterness.

M - A bit less than medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a sweet finish.

D - Very drinkable. Could have used either a touch more body or a bit less syrupy feeling upfront. Could have used a touch more hop as well.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 05:42:02 | More by ngeunit1

codynevels

California

3/5  rDev -6%

11-18-2011 07:11:49 | More by codynevels

mactrail

California

2.78/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Scent is more like cardboard than barley. Best feature is the nice head and well carbonated mouthfeel. A little on the coarse side. Touch of barley heads toward sour grain very quickly. Fair amount of bitterness. Ends with a tedious dishwatery flavor. I'd like to give this some credit for low alcohol but the flat flavor combined with acidic sharpness is not something I want to return to.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 06:09:30 | More by mactrail

mjyoung

California

2.42/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Consumed 12/19 at the brew pub. Review written on a coaster, then transcribed.

A: Murky amber with a thin film of a head, weblike lacing.

S: A hint of hops and malt, but not much going on with the nose at all. Very nondescript, but you can pick up a bit of the hops after tasting it.

T: A fair amount of hops covering the slightest hint of the malt. The flavor is very one-dimensional, and does not finish cleanly leaving a metallic tang. Almost seems more like a PA than an amber...

M: Not much going on here either. It's got the right viscosity but the carbonation was a bit much for me.

D: It wasn't too bad, smooth and drinkable, but I felt it was a bit off for the style. I'm sorry to say it wasn't very memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2010 23:18:33 | More by mjyoung

nickd717

California

3.15/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a clear deep medium amber color with a well-formed off-white head.

Aroma is fairly typical for the style: caramel malt and hops. The hops are slightly earthy with a noticeable cannabis presence.

Like many of HMB's hoppier beers, the wacky tobacky is a substantial flavor note here. Sweet caramel malt balances earthy, resinous, and weedy hops.

Medium-bodied, maybe a little on the light side, with average carbonation.

A respectable low ABV amber ale overall. Not amazing, but drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-20-2010 17:28:55 | More by nickd717

Offa

California

2.6/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This is a very standard-style, basic, thin, and one-dimensional amber ale.

Dark amber/copper, it has a medium large, off-white head steadily shrinking to a rich, frothy tring and wisps, with some decent frothy lace.

The aroma is at first orange but this quickyl is replaced by pineapple, grapefruit, whole wheat bread (of the basic, bagged, pre-sliced kind specifically), hint of dusty hay.

The taste is light with a hint of toastiness with light, thin, but assertive grapefruit and an odd plastic-tape quality underneath. It finishes quickly to a lightly but sharply bitter finish that is slightly grapefruity but with little real flavour. There is a faint caramelly-s aftertase under lingering sharp bitterness. Nothing is married well, the character is very light and thin, the feel is thin and watery and overall this is a dud.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 23:45:16 | More by Offa

largadeer

California

2.38/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Hazy amber with a small head that sticks around for a minute or so before disappearing.

Smell: Syrupy malt and something slightly funky that I can't identify.

Taste: I wanted to give this beer a shot because it's local to me, and I don't see a lot of microbreweries in this area. This was a bad idea. This stuff tastes like it was made with cheap malt extract - it's totally one-dimensional with some nice metallic undertones, kind of like chewing on a piece of lead. Hops are faint and the aftertaste is fairly clean. I think my first homebrew was better than this.

Mouthfeel: Light-to-medium bodied, it's probably the one acceptable character of this beer.

Drinkability: Pretty light and sessionable if you don't mind drinking beer that tastes utterly mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2007 20:56:38 | More by largadeer

SacoDeToro

California

2.05/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

The beer pours a dull and hazy amber color. The head is a very small light tan lace. The smell is metallic with hints of a British ale yeast. The malt profile is thin with a sharp hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is weak and the carbonation not quite high enough. Overall this tastes like a medeocre homebrew kit made by a beginner. Less than impressive and somewhat embarassing for a professional entry, do yourself a favor and avoid this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2005 23:50:38 | More by SacoDeToro

watermelonman

California

3.38/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This poured to a nice deep amber color with a nice head that lasted well. It left some nice lace behind too.

The smell seems out of place, it's too fruity for the style. Grains are readily apparent in the taste. The hop profile is strong but very plain. The mouthfeel is a little too sharp to be very good. It's pretty easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2005 05:05:53 | More by watermelonman

misterscooter

California

3.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I was looking forward to going to the brew pub and trying one of their beers on tap. 'Twas good but not great and I was a little disappointed but it definitely wasn't swill.

Poured brownish orange with just enough head on top to bring out the smell. It had an old orange rind and musky smell too it. Not too strong but rather gentle. I had to take a couple of long inhales to just get that. Otherwise, not much in there.

The first taste was also orangey with some lemony essence, too. A little too carbonated for me, at least from this tap. Refreshing but I took a while to drink it because of the bubbles. The meal ended and I wouldn't have minded another one.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2005 01:59:37 | More by misterscooter

GClarkage

California

3.83/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

01/21/05- On tap at the HMB Brewery.

Presenation- 4 oz sampler (part of a 2 day, 4 sampler binge)

Appearance- The sampler originally was all head. She had to fill it over a minute period. Light lacing and an amber pour.

Smell- Lots of malt and a good amount of hops too. Very fruity smelling.

Taste- A dull fruity taste. Over sweet for me. Hops are lightly piney and fruity. Tastes a bit stale.

Mouthfeel- Nice moderate carbonation that leaves the mouth wanting more.

Drinkability- Maybe got the end of a keg or something. This has potential to be a very good ale. As it is it's pretty decent.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2005 23:46:19 | More by GClarkage

BrewMaster

California

3.63/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a colorful 22 oz bomber with a picture of the surf on it. The aroma comes with a subtle malt aroma on top of this clear, rich colored red brew. A lacy and lasting head dwells on top. The flavors are subtle hops with malty esters, some citrus with a crisp lemon to back it up. The hops stand out but it is nothing impressive. It lacks a clear and chewy malt profile for the drinker to taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2004 01:03:42 | More by BrewMaster

JISurfer

South Carolina

3.33/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The headline for this brew, is Big Head Retention. This has one of the best head retention's I have seen. Too bad it other characterisitics were average. The smell wasn;t too bad, with earthy tones, hops, some malts, and citrus. This leads into the taste. The taste was very similar to the smell. Nothing out of the ordinary going on. I guess the cool thing about this brew was the kick ass logo.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2004 02:17:53 | More by JISurfer

beerguy101

California

3.48/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Medium amber color. Medium white foamy head. Aroma is fruity and sweet. A medium bodied amber. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are grapefruity, piney and citrus. This beer is very hoppy for an amber, but it balances the malty sweetness well. An interesting amber, it starts out fruity and finishes very hoppy. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2004 04:39:08 | More by beerguy101