New Holland Sundog Amber Ale - New Holland Brewing Company

Catherine8189

Michigan

3.44/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I enjoyed this beer from a bottle poured into a clean short beer glass. The color was a vibrant tawny brown with a off-white medium head. Rich caramel notes, and a great balance with toasted barley make for a very tasty ale that could be enjoyed with a variety of dishes in any season. The finish of this beer can be nutty but turns into an almost sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:37:58 | More by Catherine8189

elNopalero

Texas

4.3/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This poured an orange tinted amber color with light foam that rapidly dissipates. It has a sweetish aroma with some hazelnut notes emerging from the malt profile. (Hazelnut was on my mind as I had the Frangelic Mountain Brown a few days prior.) I get some orange notes from the hops and a honeyed sweetness. It’s an easy sipper with a nice carbonation & light malty finish with a slight hop bite. The lingering finish has hints of candied orange peel and a continuation of the honeyed sweetness. This wasn’t overly sweet or malty. A reminder that not all amber ales are equal. Definitely one I’d have again—and one I wouldn’t mind sharing with those who aren’t into hoppy ales.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 07:45:49 | More by elNopalero

kylehay2004

Florida

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger off white head on a clear copper body with nice lacing.

S: toasted malts, burnt caramel, some sweet citrus.

T: toasted malts and burnt toast, herbal and earthy hops, finish has hint of tart citrus and sweet caramel.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: unique and not too boring for the style. not a amazing but certainly drinkable and one I would have again.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:01:09 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.08/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours with one finger of white foam on top of a clear, amber brown body. The head settles slowly and leaves nice lacing on the glass.

S - Rich toffee malt with a touch of herbal hops and toasted grain.

T - Toasty malt up front with some spicy hops. Soft malt with a touch of wheat like character in the middle and a finish of toast and light bitterness,

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a dry but flabby finish.

D - There is something off about the malt character of this beer. Too much dry toast and an oddly bready thing in the finish, not something I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 03:00:26 | More by nickfl

Infamous7100

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: pours a carmel to orange hue with a thin tan head. It's quick to disappear and there is minimal lacing.
S: A pleasant carmel scent jumps out from the get go and is is persistant. There are some faint nutty notes as the label suggests and I can detect detect a bit of floral notes as well.
T: sweeter than expected and loaded with a malty presence throughout. Toward the back, the nuttiness does come through, as well as some slighty bitter notes, but what really stands out is amount of malt and carmel.
M: light to medium in body and likewise with carbonation. It's a tad thinner than I anticipated. A decent sweet finish.
O: not a bad brew and one you could session with. Perhaps a bit more balance is in order as its sweetness dominates, but an interesting take on an amber and one that is enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 22:05:40 | More by Infamous7100

KYGunner

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured with a nice two finger head and and orangish hue. The color was a little disappointing as its an amber ale. Smelled of malt and biscuit but it is a very fragrant malt scent. Sun dog delivers a smooth malt flavor and a subtle nuttiness. Very pleasant in nature and quite tasty I found this to be a quality experience.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 00:26:41 | More by KYGunner

Minkybut

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I poured this nice brew into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer had a nice caramel smell but the beer poured a thin head. And afterwards the head was gone really fast. The color of the beer was a nice amber of course. The taste was nice, a bit dry but nice and I decided I would buy this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 22:18:56 | More by Minkybut

tectactoe

Michigan

2.94/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Pretty clear and clean amber/light copper color with a small white head that left nice lacing on the glass. This one smells like a fairly generic amber ale, with lots of malt, caramel, and a toasted biscuit backbone. Along the way, you may pick up very, very slight floral notes and hops, but it is very faint. Unfortunately, I'm picking up a kind of weird, off-putting smell; metallic, and even a little "sweaty". Not sure what the deal is there, but it really came through during the last half of the beer. However, it has a pretty nice flavor: caramel, biscuits, malts, maybe even a bit of toasted barley. Near the end, some ever-so-slight fruity hints popped out, but remained fairly sheltered. Just a tad of sweetness and an average amount of carbonation give a little itty-bitty bite on the back of the tongue as this one washes down. Fairly thin body all around.

Not bad, but not very good either. One of my least favorite brews from New Holland, I would most likely pass this beer up next time, only because there are probably better options available where this can be had.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 03:31:42 | More by tectactoe

tigg924

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: amber in color, 3/4 inch head, hazy, moderate carbonation

Smell: rich toffee and caramel with toasted malt

Taste: sweet caramel, earthy hops in the middle, sweet toffee towards the end and meadow

Mouthfeel: medium bodied, moderate-high carbonation, sweet start with a bitter spike in the middle and a less bitter end

Overall: A nice sessionable treat, nice and malty but just enough hops to give it balance. Not the best amber I have ever had but a damn good one.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 16:06:04 | More by tigg924

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled 4/24/2012. Pours fairly hazy orange amber color with a nice 1-2 finger dense off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some good lacing clings to the sides of the glass. Aromas of caramel, grapefruit, herbal, biscuit, toast, grass, nuttiness, and light pine. Nice, pleasant, and well balanced aromas with decent strength. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, grapefruit, orange, nuttiness, pine, grass, and herbal spiciness. Good amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, citrus, pine, toast, biscuit, grass, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of caramel and toasted flavors with hop character. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with pretty much zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a really nice amber ale. Great flavor balance with good complexity; and extremely smooth and easy to drink. Really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 06:19:34 | More by superspak

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a chalice, color is amber with copper edges, head is off white and very clingy but not much head.

Smell is biscuity, caramely, light toffee and some hints of grassy hops pretty pleasant.

Taste is lightly sweet with similar flavors to the scent, caramel comes through most with hints of toffee and caramel, light nuttiness with neutral and pleasant hops cleaning the palate.

Mouthfeeel is quite good, some lingering bitterness overcomes the somewhat stronger notes of caramel and toffee in the taste followed by nice carbonation.

Overall, a very solid more malty sweet amber ale with interesting notes of caramel and some nuttiness.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 22:50:47 | More by mvanaskie13

dexterk1

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle to pint. Color is a dark amber/copper and head is small.
Odor is pleasant and sweet with some citrus and floral as well.
Taste is a little flat. It seems to not really go anywhere. It is not bad just a little average. Has malt and some toffee notes.
mouth feel is a little disappointing. Light on the tongue and then it seems to go away quickly.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 00:45:36 | More by dexterk1

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.78/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours deep amber. kind of reminds me of the chunk of amber with the mosquito in it from Jurassic Park. yep I went there. Remarkably low carbonation and no head.

Loads of caramel malt, hints of corn syrup and toffee. Earthy, and slightly metallic.

Definitely a malty beer, here. Nice caramel notes, hints of toffee, but overall dominated by adjunct corn. Feels nice and slick on the tongue. Earthy feeling.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 17:57:58 | More by VncentLIFE

paperbackfoster

Missouri

3.08/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a ruddy amber. Somewhat lively body carbonation, but head doesn't come up past a half finger and recedes quickly.

Smells faintly of caramel and toffee with a bit of a grassy or rye note. Emphasis on faintly. Taste is similar, a little biscuity, an almost cherry sweetness rounding out the malt. This one feels a little dry, a little chewy.

Overall, a short review does it justice. A little earthy, a little sweet, but mostly just an average amber. Not bad, but I think there are better beers to sate an amber craving.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 20:16:43 | More by paperbackfoster

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at New Holland last week. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a moderate amber color with a thin off-white head and some good lacing. The nose carries a bit of bready malt without too much else. Slight bit of earthy hops. Flavor has an amber-malt base and a slight biscuity chewiness. Other than that, not much going on. Pretty plain. Light-medium body.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 14:34:19 | More by Thorpe429

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours brilliantly clear red-copper color with a moderate off-white head that quickly diminished to barely a skim. The aroma is moderately malty, sweet, caramel, toasty with hints of raisin as well as a medium-low grassy hop aroma. The flavor is moderately malty--toasty, a bit sweet and grassy touch of hops. The initial flavors are good but very one dimensional. The flavors do not change before disappearing with too clean of a finish. The body is medium and carbonation medium-high. Overall not bad, better as it warms. I would not purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 02:35:32 | More by uwmgdman

oline73

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a beautiful dark reddish amber with a finger of fluffy off white head. There is a decent amount of retention and some very nice lacing. Pretty beer.

Smell: Mildly sweet malt, some caramel. The dominant smell is mildly toasted bready malt. Just a bit nutty.

Taste: Not sweet at all. Bready malt up front with a slightly soapy bitterness in the finish. There is a very mild fruity note in the background, reminds me of cherry.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with a high amount of carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Overall: This is a solid American Amber. The appearance was the best part, but it was still solid. Don't know that I'll search out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 01:32:35 | More by oline73

mrfrancis

Kentucky

4.13/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a dark amber with a puffy, lingering white head.

S: Aromas of biscuits, toast, caramel, and dried fruit are present on the nose.

T: Notes of heavy cream, vanilla, biscuits, minerals, roasted nuts, toast, raisins, and toffee gently wash across the palate. The finish is malty and smooth with cream, vanilla, and bread notes.

M: Medium bodied, firm, and dry with active carbonation. Very drinkable. Smoother than expected.

O: I do not tend to enjoy American amber/red ales all that much, but this one is a winner. I will definitely be revisiting it the next time I'm in the mood for a beer of this style.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 23:05:06 | More by mrfrancis

mckajd03

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - A clear amber color. A thick white head forms and lingers for quite a while.
S - A sweet maltiness stands out immediately, as well as some dark fruit. No hop aroma.
T - A sweet caramel and light nuttiness come through. No appreciable hop flavor.
M - Thinner than I would have expected, but not off-putting. Clean and smooth finish. Very slight alcohol warmth.
O - Slightly one-dimensional in the malt category, but the one-sidedness is done well. Could use some hops (either flavor or aroma).

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 00:01:18 | More by mckajd03

Brenden

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The color is a mildly hazed copper. The tan head rests at about one finger in height and retains itself well. When it fades to a foam, it fades no further and leaves sturdy lacing well down the glass.
The aroma is a good balance of malts and hops, the hops bringing a light earthy and floral element to complement a light fruity sweetness along with a touch of caramel and toastiness. It's well-attenuated but mild.
From the reviews I expected this be be a little weak, at least as far as hops presence, but it's actually not. For an amber that's not an Imperial and not trying to be Nugget Nectar, this is what you should be looking for: good amount of flavor (not devastating, tongue-obliterating flavor) and substantial contributions from both the hops and malt ends for good balance. This beer's flavor is similar to its aroma with a bit more of a leafy flavor also coming out and grains strong underneath. The finish lingers nicely and is pretty dry.
The beer overall is quite dry for the balance, carrying the leafy edge into the mouthfeel as well. The body is medium with a moderate carbonation giving way to a good level of crispness and allowing for it to smooth out in each swallow.
This is a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 13:37:46 | More by Brenden

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.08/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an effervescent amber with 3+ fingers of cream colored head. Very good head retention & lacing

S: Bready & malty notes, plus a touch of pear

T Woody & herbal hopa, faint musty grain, dryness, pears up front. leafy hops, apricots & woody hops as this warms. Finishes with a lot of dryness from woody hops, plus a touch of fruittyness

MF: Medium bodied with firm carbonation, starts thinning out as this warms, okay balance

A very run of the mill amber, glad I got this as part of mixed sixer

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 13:53:04 | More by russpowell

salvo

Indiana

2.78/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sundog is a lighter fizzy red beer. Off-white head quickly vanishes with little trace; red-brown liquid. Roasty and malty as well as mildly sour. Not much in the way of hops. Or other flavors. Or complexity. Ends with roasty malt. A little disappointing.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2011 02:00:53 | More by salvo

EricCioe

Montana

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

Thanks to my sister for passing this along.

This pours copperish with a small eggshell head rising and falling pretty quickly with spotty lace. On the nose notes of caramel malt hang out with sticky pine way further back, although the whole thing is a bit understated. In the mouth the hops become a bit astringent and harsh, but not overwhelmingly so, and the sweeter caramel balances this somewhat. The body is a bit sticky and medium with a medium finish.

Overall, this beer is fine enough but lacks anything to really make it stand out. With so many good ambers on the market, be they of the hoppier or maltier varieties, this one just doesn't do enough to make me want to buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 01:43:44 | More by EricCioe

IronCitySteve

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a orangish amber color with a nice foam head with excellent retention. There is a nice amount of lacing down the sides of the glass.

S: There is a decent amount of caramel scent, some toast and brown sugar. Very sweet smelling.

T: Starts and finishes pretty much the same. Not an overly complex beer but still a decent tasting amber. The flavor is mostly caramel and toast. It is not overly sweet.

M: A light to medium bodied beer. Leaves a slightly slick taste on the palate.

O: A simple yet tasty Amber Ale. Not overly complex but still enjoyable to drink. Would definitely have this one again.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2011 17:49:09 | More by IronCitySteve

DCon

Missouri

3.38/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received a 12FL. OZ bottle of this from the MoBev Beer Rep, Jim. Poured from the cool sunset bottle into my Schlafly Pint Glass and didn't have a freshness date on it.

Aroma- Starts with Kettle Corn aroma and a hint of caramel. Very watery and almost like a Blonde ale (Malty, Fruity)...

Appearance- Pours a 1.5 finger head that is frothy and stays around for a good amount of time. It is an amber color body that is clear. Leaves rings of lace on the glass.

Flavor- Malt is the strongest ingredient here and this brings on a caramel taste. Very sweet and stays around till the finish. The bitterness at the end is medium and doesn't do much to add any complexity to the beer.

Mouthfeel- Light-Medium Bodied, Medium Carbonation, but goes down very watery, and very much light enjoying a Bud Light and Kettle Corn at the same time.

Overall Impression- Its a bit above average but wouldn't buy if I was out looking for an amber/red ale. Have had MANY from Grand Teton and other Breweries who throw much more body into theirs. Drinkability was much to easy for this style as well. Not dissing this beer but New Holland could have done better!

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2011 19:39:02 | More by DCon