House Ale
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

House AleHouse Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.45 | pDev: 12.46%
Reviews:
49
Ratings:
58
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 02, 2015
Added:
Jun 26, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Lupe:
Photo of Lupe
Reviewed by Lupe from New York

3.56/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours an orange-amber color with small off-white head. Not much retention and some lace is left behind.

Mild aroma of caramel, biscuit, and herbal hops. Slight metallic tang is also present.

Nice simple flavors similar to the aroma. Biscuit, caramel, toast, and an herbal hopiness. Notes of cinnamon and spice. Well balanced. Finishes slightly dry with some lingering spice.

Light-medium in body and smooth. Very easy drinking - could definitely throw a few of these back. Nothing special, but a good session beer. A nice switch from Weyerbacher's bigger beers.
Apr 03, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.84 by DarthVorador from Pennsylvania

Jun 02, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by MorgothBauglir from Pennsylvania

Dec 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by yourefragile from District of Columbia

Apr 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Durandal_777 from Pennsylvania

Apr 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Varkias41 from New Jersey

Jul 18, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Slatetank from Pennsylvania

May 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Mar 07, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by Budinetz from Pennsylvania

Jan 16, 2013
Photo of drtth
Reviewed by drtth from Pennsylvania

3.32/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
The clear copper colored beer pours out into a nonic pint glass with a nice thick light tan head that leaves behind some rings and patches of lacing.

The aromas include some rich biscuity malt with a bit of caramel. The hops are barely noticeable but have a lightly earthy and herbal character.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the slightly sweet caramel and biscuity malt supplemented by some lightly bitter earthy hops.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium bodied and slightly prickly with the persistent moderate carbonation.

On the whole a drinkable beer that would be fine for an evening of sharing with friends. Not a challenging beer but one that can repeated several times during an eveing.
May 01, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by JohneHoodlum from Pennsylvania

Dec 06, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
garnet amber in color with a nice light haze to it. A smallish head of white then rose up to the surface and settled down gently into a thin film that totally covered the top of the glass. Rich color then ensued throughout the rest of the session. Nice rich malts up front. Candied sugars, hints of light hops dancing through the nose and a tone of rich tones through out the session. Easily a malt monster if I have ever had one. As I take the first sip that deep, caramel and candy flavor takes over. Nice touches of earthen hops trying to balance it out but going nowhere against the huge bill that was laid out in front of them. Warming makes it sweeter
Aug 31, 2011
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Had a bottle of this back in 2008. This beer was a nice amber red color on the pour, it had a generous amount of head on it too. The aroma was pretty hoppy and had a nice sweetness of malts coming out of the glass. The taste was pretty much like any other Amber Ale out there, it was semi sweet with a dry bitterness in the end. The mouthfeel was medium and fairly carbonated. This beer doesn't surprise me that it's been retired. With the amount of other good brews that they keep putting out this one was bound to fall behind in the ranks. It was a good drinking beer for the common folk and I'm sure it helped get Weyerbacher off the ground.
Apr 14, 2011
Photo of drcarver
Reviewed by drcarver from Pennsylvania

3.06/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A - A sparkling cloudy medium orange body with a fast diminishing head

S - Light hop aroma with hints of yeast and citrus

T - The hop bitterness is present on the first draft with pine and flowers.

M - Medium light body with a watery astringent feel

D - Not bad.
May 26, 2009
Photo of paco1029384756
Reviewed by paco1029384756 from Illinois

3.48/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to ericwo for the bottle.

Pours a cloudy orange color with a short white head.

Scent of grain, sweet malts, and a hint of fruit. Good, but not great, a bit different than the typical Amber Ale.

Taste of grain, malts, and a hint of copper. Pretty bland, but at least it isn't flavorless.

Mouthfeel is light bodied with a nice pinch of carbonation.
Apr 10, 2009
Photo of BARFLYB
Reviewed by BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -13%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12oz bottle into a oddly shaped glass. Got a single bottle from oglmcdgl, thanks. I was looking for something simple while I did some work.

A- This house ale comes out of the bottle with a light tan dirty color. Once in the glass it had a slight amber to orange color with a slight haze, but i was able to see through the glass. A 1/2 inch beige head graced the top for a few. Nothing in terms of lace.

S- A pretty standard scent of caramel malts and barely any hops. Some buttery components as well. A bit nutty with some grains as well. Not very pungent at all.

T- See above. The buttery aspect comes out even more as well as caramels from the malts. Almost reminisant of an oktoberfest/marzen taste. You really have to focus to taste an hops. Very light and somewhat enjoyable.

M- This house all was thin bodied with good carbonation perhaps too much. Finishes a bit dry with a mild aftertaste. Went down very easy and smooth.

D- A very low abv would make this a good session beer but the taste is lacking to the point where one bottle would do. Glad to have tried this anyway. Perhaps this is due for a revamping by the brewery or maybe this was a old bottle.
Feb 16, 2009
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

2.98/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
"I'm an excellent housekeeper. Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house."

--Zsa Zsa Gabor

Autumn leaves orange with honey trim. If the lid was white rather than beige, the beer would look like candy corn in a glass. Unfortunately, the small slice of foam doesn't have an abundance of character and isn't leaving much lace. A thin, soapy collar is the extent of things.

The nose is reminiscent of a weakly aromatic marzen. Munich malt and Tettnang hops will do that. It's barely toasted, somewhat grainy... and that's about it. In the end, it's too weak and too uninteresting to be considered good.

That a pretty accurate description of the flavor profile as well. The house wine is usually the simplest, least expensive offering on the wine list. Did Weyerbacher have to follow that same blueprint when designing House Ale? Low ABV ambers need a twist, a hook, something to get them noticed. So far, there's nothing like that here.

As in the nose, there's a toasted, nutty, earthy, fruity character to the beer that gives it some sort of identity, if not actual personality. It tries to start off malty sweet and tries to close the deal with a bitter finish, but doesn't manage to do either. Sorry, this is a yawner.

Despite the brewery's hope that they created a beer that 'didn't lack for body and flavor', it lacks both; especially the former. It's too thin and the bubbles are too sharp-edged to be pleasurable.

If Weyerbacher's House (Ale) has a drawing room with a drawing board, the brewers need to go back to it and start again. If they're bound and determined to brew a session beer, it should be possible to add some pizzazz while keeping the ABV down. I have faith that they can pull it off.
Oct 29, 2008
Photo of TubaManJack
Reviewed by TubaManJack from District of Columbia

2.92/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Only available in a 12 oz. undated bottle --> Brown Bottle- Brown Brew

The House Ale was a moderate amber color with an inch of foam. The foam was relatively white and dissipated slowly.

This beer tasted slightly of toasted grains and slightly like a brown ale. This was kinda unique but nothing that really wants me to get another few for my "personal case."

The mouthfeel had a mild body and was highly carbonated. There was an lingering aftertaste with light grain taste.
Oct 14, 2008
Photo of thethrone
Reviewed by thethrone from Ohio

3.82/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Pours a clear amber, with 1" bubbly off white head which dissipates quickly to a thin ring. Carbonation visible in the glass. Wet, spotty lacing.

S - The nose is full of sweet biscuity malts, with a mild hoppy aroma underneath.

T - The taste is of caramel malts, with a peppery bite. There is also a hint of apple cider.

M - Medium/light mouthfeel, good carbonation. Finishes with a bit of sourness from the fruit flavors.

D - A good quality brew, but I'm not sure I would want more than 1 or two at a time. Seems like a beer well suited for the fall.
Oct 01, 2008
Photo of Dodo2step
Reviewed by Dodo2step from Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
P- Market Cross Pub in Carlisle

Never heard of this weyebacher brew but it looks very interesting. Love the label.

A- pours a very aromatic burnt orange and light amber color. it reminds of the amber in Jurassic Park where the find the mosquitos. A nice little head but nothing major.

S- grainy and biscuit-like. Kind of like toasted sourdough bread. Very unique. brown sugar smells as well.

T- malty and grainy at first. A sweetness comes out more as i drink it. a roasted or toasted nut as well hints to my palate.

M- bready and grainy. kind of like drinking alcoholic bread if you can imagine. It isnt as bad as it sounds though.

D- hard to gauge without having another actually. it is a lil too grainy for my liking though. It is decent though! props to weyerbacher.
Sep 24, 2008
House Ale from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 58 ratings