Squatters Big Cottonwood - Utah Brewers Cooperative

BryanCarey

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big Cottonwood is an amber beer with a reddish tan color and a steady head of foam that does leave some lacing. The nose is bready, caramel- like, malty, and certainly enticing.

Tasting Big Cottonwood doesn’t reveal any great surprises or “wow” moments, but that is okay because the beer still satisfies. The flavors of bread, toffee, caramel, pine, and a little bit of honey and citrus fruit are present and there is a small touch of bitterness in the finish that quickly switches back to the flavor of pine and bread in the aftertaste. The flavor isn’t overly complex, but it is still good and quaffable.

This beer is highly drinkable and I like the way it teases the palate. It seems like it is going to be a tad watery and lacking in hop character, but then you taste it all the way through and you realize there is just enough of a hop kick in the finish to keep it balanced and keep it real. The aftertaste is malty, bready, and sweet but there is still enough hop contribution to stay balanced.

A good beer overall and one I will certainly drink again.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 02:51:02 | More by BryanCarey

alexgash

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle. Born on 08/02/12.

Clear, clean amber copper body. Tall, frothy, foamy, light khaki head. Heavy dose of caramel, sugary fruit, and bready malts on the nose. Accented by some spicy, floral, slightly resinous hops.

Herbal hop bitterness and slightly toasted malts up front. Caramel and biscuit malt comes on strong. Some fruitiness around the edge, along with resinous, spicy hop bitterness. Lingering fruity sweetness and some earthy bitterness. Moderate body, with a slightly watery feel. Not bad, overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 02:13:57 | More by alexgash

Offa

California

3.48/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is a solid ale, but uninteresting standard west-type red ale (too bad since their DIPA is great).

Red amber, it has a medium-big pale tan head slowly shrinking to foamy ring, a little lace.

Aroma is caramelised barley, orange, pine needles and wet bread.

Taste is gentle, simple but with hints of complexity, well-balanced but a bit thin. It has jammy pine, citrus (burnt orange), pine needles, toasted (faintly caramelised) barley, all a bit vague and very mild. It is lightly sweet & juicy up front, then moderate peppery-citrus bitterness, then dryer in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 23:59:54 | More by Offa

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer #39 in my great Utah Brew Hunt.

I let this one sit out while I tried the beer on my previous review. I think it helped quite a bit.

Nice malty body with a sweet tone that is very amber ale in quality. Consistent and even flavor delivery. I could drink this beer all day and all night. Typifies what the style should be. A real pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 04:00:37 | More by RblWthACoz

acevenom

Louisiana

4.43/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a pint glass. Pours clear amber with a tall biege head. Plentiful tiny bubbles can be seen in the beer upon the initial pour. The head retreats pretty slowly and there is some lacing left on the side of the glass. I detect some caramel malt as well as some bready aromas. The hops are pretty mild in the smell, bringing some nice citrus aromas. That bready aroma really comes through well in the flavor. There's some mild sweetness back there from the caramel malt. There's that citrus flavor that I pick up from the hops. It's so well balanced. The body is medium with moderate carbonation. The finish is pretty smooth. The drinkability is very high. This is an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 00:08:31 | More by acevenom

Lawl3ss

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Chilled 12 oz. bottle poured into a stemless tulip pint. Bottling date 12.27.11.

Look- Clear reddish medium amber with three fingers of dense head the color of banana flesh. Good retention, nice lacing- the glass is basically coated with suds.

Smell- Flowery, honey and lemon pith. Swirling brings out crusty bread and a dusky earthy scent. Appealing.

Taste- Not particularly hoppy, but I wouldn't expect it to be after this many months. Solid amber/honey malt backbone with a splash of lemon candy. Herbal, tea-like hop flavor gives an overall impression of spiced Christmastime popcorn balls; cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and honey. Touch of mineral at the finish, very clean.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, light carbonation. Tealike consistency and drinkability. Quite drinkable.

Overall- Quite nice, and it's aged well. Nicely balanced and flavorful. I'll be getting it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 23:11:56 | More by Lawl3ss

XicanoBeerRun

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. It is definitely amber in color. Smells like toasted bread, light caramel. Tastes like oats, faint almond extract. I may be going out on a limb here, but I could taste sweet strawberry. Medium carbonation. It is a refreshing beer. It is not something I would drink often, but not something I would turn down.

I’ll have another.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 14:09:23 | More by XicanoBeerRun

FosterJM

California

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

1377th Review on BA
Bottle to Balloon Pint
12oz

Bottled 06/19/11 <---My bad!!
Purchased for $1.79, Total Wine Las Vegas

App- Not as dark as a normal amber, but more light like a DIPA/BW combo. Had only a small 1/4" head that left no cling.

Smell- Malty, caramel sweetness with some orange zest. Nothing to outlandish but not bad either.

Taste- Very similar to the nose. Has a pleasant flavor even for a year later. Its slightly sweet with a good wheat base and a bit of a thicker amber malts.

Mouth- Slightly thicker medium bodied with a medium carbonation. Residual malts remain with a bit of sweet caramel and a popcorn flavor.

Drink- Wasnt bad, just wouldve liked it to be fresher, but thats on me.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 01:53:42 | More by FosterJM

DavoleBomb

Ohio

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

Poured into a pint glass.

3.5 A: Clear orange amber color. Two fingers of frothy off-white head. Retention is about average and a moderate amount of lacing is left.

3.5 S: Toasty with a strong caramel component. Sweet and grainy maltiness. Simple, but pleasant.

3.5 T: Like the nose, this is toasty with plenty of caramel, a moderate sweetness, and graininess.

3.5 M: Light to lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Light creaminess. Good enough here.

3.5 D: Entirely drinkable, good enough amber ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 22:30:14 | More by DavoleBomb

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

25oz bottle courtesy of Wasatch. Thanks John!

It pours an amber colour with only about a 1/2 inch head of foam but leaves some nice lacing.

The smell is a balanced mix of caramel malt and citrus hops...not quite balanced; the malt is definitely stronger on my nose. I like that.

Caramel malt and grain are up front on first sip accompanied by a light citric punch. This is definitely a malt forward Amber and I'm digging it. There are plenty enough hop forward beers of the style out there.

Medium body with the same for the carbonation, it has a good mouthfeel and is quite drinkable. This is good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 00:15:25 | More by Bitterbill

prometheus

3.65/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this a few times. It is now available in a big 750 ml bottle.

Pours a tangerine amber red. Thin head. Medium mouthful with slightly stingy carbonation. Great smell of pine and dried orange peel. Taste is the same with a long finish that lingers for a long time. Great Utah Brew!

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 03:06:34 | More by prometheus

LXIXME

New Mexico

4.23/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big light brown head floats above a clear reddish amber colored beer.

A lightly roasted malt aroma with a bit of hops coming through as well as some other lesser notes I can't distinguish.

The taste is overwhelmingly a lightly roasted malt with hints of hops sneaking in there.

A medium bodied beer that leaves a light malty dryish aftertaste.

A very worthy amber, get rid of the amber bock and grab some of these.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 23:06:16 | More by LXIXME

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle tried 10 Dec 2011. Courtesy of R&S, thanks! Served in the Dillon Dam shaker pint.

Medium sized light brown head. Lightly carbonated. Clear warm brown in color. Smells moderately spicy, some molasses and resin. Starts kind of spicy and resiny up front. Some molasses as well. Medium body, light ethanol. Somewhat herbal and earthy through the middle. Finish is kind of astringent and bitter.

A liked this quite a bit more than I did.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 22:38:55 | More by htomsirveaux

Jason

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

LOOK: Hazed ruddy amber, excellent head

SMELL: Toffee, hop resin, yeast, fresh toasted bread, orange zest, peppery, fig

TASTE: Super smooth, big toffee, biscuity, bready, soft hop bitterness, oily hop resin, nutty yeast, husky, ripe fig, light alcohol, semi-dry finish

A playful Amber Ale, goes from sweet to hoppy to grain and back around the block again. Very well rounded and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 03:21:39 | More by Jason

Mora2000

Texas

3.2/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours a medium to dark amber color with a small white head. The aroma is a strong mix of toffee and some pine hops, presumably from the cascade hopes used in the dry hopping process. The flavor is basically that of a very hoppy amber ale. I get a lot of toffee and tannic notes like you get in a glass of iced tea, as well as some pine flavor from the hops. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2012 03:14:49 | More by Mora2000

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours hazy amber with generous head. Nose has herbal hops, tea, and a toasty malt quality. On the palate the malt component is prominent, though it has a bit of malt extract caramel taste standing out. Hops balance it out and carry into the finish and aftertaste . Lot of herbal, earthy hops on the aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 20:48:26 | More by yemenmocha

mpyle

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My thanks to SB for sending me this beer for XMAS!

App - Bright amber color, brilliantly clear. Poured a good sized just off-white colored head, quite creamy and long lasting

Smell - Piney hop aroma dominates, and otherwise quite clean.

Taste - Piney hop flavor on top of a malty backbone. Surprisingly little residual sweetness - only on color does it distinguish itself from an APA. Bitterness in finish is present, but is quite gentle. Much hop flavor, but moderate hop bitterness.

MF - Medium body and carbonation, no astringency or warming.

Overall - A nice, clean hoppy ale. Would like to see the malt a bit more prominent to make it stand apart from APAs, but a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2012 23:53:34 | More by mpyle

mactrail

California

3.25/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Classic dark amber color with some lacing in the glass. Faint aroma of roast malt, though the flowery hops take a while to reveal themselves. The earth and dirty style of flavors, which I didn't think you could get with Cascade hops. Light body with very nice rich carbonation in the mouth. Moderately bitter aftertaste on a light base of muddy malt.

Current version is 5.75 ABV. Supposed to be a stronger version of their Emigration Amber Ale with dry-hopped Cascades. Sounds great but it is a pretty lackluster brew to my taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 00:41:17 | More by mactrail

portia99

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle (born on 6/13/11) courtesy of Wasatch. Thanks John! Poured into a Bruery tulip.

A - Pours a mostly clear brownish amber body with a thick finger of frothy/foamy cream colored head with rather good staying power. Modest webs of lacing left on the glass.

S - Has a distinct caramel aroma up front mixed with brown sugar, maltose, some mildly metallic hops and a touch of biscuit. Pretty much right on for the style.

T - Good base of bready malt, a bit yeasty, moderate sweetness - mostly brown sugar, caramel and hints of molasses. Bitterness is mild giving a good balance to the flavors but not really a huge flavor provider. Hops also give a bit of citrus towards the finish. Nice.

M - Lighter side of medium bodied, but doesn't really feel thin either. Carbonation is adequate at a slightly lowish level...gives enough life to the beer. Sweet flavors overpower the hops here just a bit. Easy drinker.

O - Overall, I'd call this a good session beer. Nice complement of flavors from malt and hops - very well balanced. Smooth and easy drinking - perfect for a session or as a companion to some pub food.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 23:21:34 | More by portia99

Beernoisseur

Utah

3.95/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm a big fan of breweries that do unique stuff to get your attention. I'm also a big fan of the cottonwood canyons here in Salt Lake, since I live less than a ten minute drive from them.

This beer exists where those two appreciations converge.

The pour from the bottle into my pint glass reveals a red-leaning amber with a nice finger width head. The smell is typical for the style, maybe with a touch of earthy hops standing out. The flavor is well-balanced with both the malt and hops making obvious contributions . The finish is somewhat more malty, however. Almost bready.

Overall a real nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 03:49:54 | More by Beernoisseur

bayougutter

Louisiana

3.63/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Born on date of 06-13-11 and consumed 09-25-11.
Poured from bottle to a snifter and is a clear amber that has a white head of an inch with retention and lacing being above average.

On the smell I get grass/earthy hops, a lot of caramel malts, and some fig/date fruit as well. A nice aroma, hope the taste lives up.

The taste didn't dissapoint but it left me wanting more. A little dry on the finish. A good balance between the malts and hops.

Mouthfeel is light to medium with good carbination.

Overall, I liked it but it just kinda left me hanging. It did improve as it warmed a bit. Still a good example and will have again.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 15:45:05 | More by bayougutter

brentk56

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a crystal clear burnt orange verging on amber; a massive head sits atop the liquid; both the retention and the lacing are noteworthy

Smell: Earthy hops and plenty of caramel malt

Taste: Caramel and fruit (apple and nectarine), up front, with a growing earthy hop character that arrives by mid-palate and dominates, after the swallow

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Overall: It's hard for me to get excited about an American Amber, but this is one of the finer examples of the style; well-crafted and plenty hoppy

Thanks, douglas88 (from the other site), for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 18:41:59 | More by brentk56

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On our way out from the Squaters Brewery we picked up a mixed six, which included Big Cottonwood. I was really looking forward to trying this beer....red ale that has been dry hopped. The color red/amber clear ale with nice white head. The nose is accentuated by fresh cascade hops and sweet malt. The taste starts off really nice...then turns malty....followed by a dry taste on the pallet. The mouthfeel is not great and it would be tough to session.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 04:47:51 | More by WoodBrew

kagent777

Utah

3.68/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle with a born on date of 6/13/11 clearly printed on the neck of the bottle. Poured into a goblet.

Appearance: Crystal clear light amber/ dark copper color with an off white head that settled to a thick ring around the edge of the glass. A nice bit of lacing sticks around.

Smell: Malts and some hoppy smells. I sense subtle citrus and floral notes as well as some minor earthy sweet notes.

Taste: A typical amber, but with a bit of hop kick bitterness. The malts present a subtle sweetness that is never off putting. The bitterness from the hops balances nicely. This is a well made beer, just not my favorite style.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is thinner than i would have expected for the color, don't judge a beer by its color. The carbonation is fine.

Overall: I like this well enough because it has some hops to contrast with the in your maltiness that ambers can have.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 04:16:15 | More by kagent777

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to hopdog to providing this sample...
Appears a hazy amber with a small off white head that slowly fades into a mild cap. Spotty bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of caramel, vanilla, toffee, toasted grains, and mild hops.
Taste is of the aromas with caramel, and vanilla flavors coming through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, balanced, and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 02:04:58 | More by weeare138