Kettle Valley Amber Ale - The Tin Whistle Brewing Company

zachloveshisbeer

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I had this one on-tap at a nice little restaurant across from Skaha Lake in Penticton. The atmosphere was probably calling for a lager or a weizen, but I decided I wanted to be adventurous and try this amber ale. From the get-go, I liked it but I wanted it to be more than it was. Having tried Anderson Valley's take on an American amber (and a shining example at that) I was looking for a little hoppier concoction and I got what I got. What I got was a nice, easy-drinking red ale that I likened to a home brew I made earlier in the summer for my sister's husband as a bit of a wedding gift he paid for. It was malty, smelled really nice and tasted great, but a tad watered down or something. I wanted to grab a bottle from the brewery to see if perhaps there was something with the taps at the joint we ate at, but they were all out when we visited. I would try again, and maybe again, just to see if it's a little more on-point.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 21:00:10 | More by zachloveshisbeer

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours crystal clear caramel colour, a thin layer of head which dissipates rather quickly and leaves no real lacing.

S - The smell on this one is quite nice, with sweet caramel coming off quite strong off the top. Brown sugar notes and a slight milk chocolate scents come off on the finish.

T - The sweet caramel malts are the most noticeable, with brown sugar and a bit of nuttiness which lingers on the finish. Flavour is a little on the mellow side, which based on the scents, was mildly disappointing, but it's still very tasty.

M - Light and bubbly on the palette, but a bit of a dry feel on the finish. That being said, it doesn't take away from the overall enjoyability of this one.

D - Overall, quite pleased with this selection and I would definitely buy it again. The price is right, the flavours are nice, and the few drawbacks (mild flavour and dry finish) are not to be interpreted as total turnoffs. Quite tasty amber ale and suggested to anyone who enjoys a sweet caramel malt ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2010 01:13:07 | More by andrenaline

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice - a new brew from an old standby in the Okanagan - the days of 3 dollar bombers in the early-closing stores in downtown Penticton long gone...

This beer pours a clear medium copper hue, with two fingers of creamy, foamy light beige head, which leaves some sparse trails of lace around the glass. It smells of biscuit and caramel malt, and some mild, indistinct warming spice. The taste is sweet crackery, bready malt, a wee bit of citrus, and earthy, weedy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body of an innocuously medium weight, and it finishes clean, crisp, with a little malt sweetness.

A decently balanced amber ale, no running away with the unnecessary sweetness in this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 23:45:20 | More by biboergosum

elricorico

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Deep coppery colour that is fairly clear. Rather quick pour to generate nearly a finger of off white head. Head falls quickly to about half its size, then is slow to fade from there.

Smells fairly sweet, caramel and sweet breadiness. Some citric hops, like a touch of lime, but the nose leans toward the malt. Smells attractive.

Flavours mirror the aroma pretty well, quite bready with a touch of caramel malt, and a light hop finish that has citric notes. A bit of pine seems to show up as it gets warmer.

There is some body to this beer, but it is still on the lighter side. Carbonation is medium, and seems to work well.

Not really an exciting style, but this is a solid amber. The kind of beer that would work just fine for a session.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2010 03:58:20 | More by elricorico

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

650ml bottle poured into pint glass feb17 2010

A slightly hazy copper with a thumbs worth of head that has decent retention and leaves a few patches of lace

S lots of sweet malt and perhaps a little honey

T again very malty with a little bit of cooked veggies and a mild floral aspect

M good carbonation and thick enough to keep it from having a watery feel

D nothing special but nothing to be ashamed of either, not bad in any areas but I wasn't blown away by anything

I didn't spend much on this beer so it's not a bad value and worth a try

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2010 02:09:00 | More by wordemupg

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From a 650 ml brown bottle. Bright light clear copper colour in appearance, tall loose bubbled frothy off-white head that slowly settles to a loose frothy cap.

The aroma gets a hell yeah right off the top, especially coming from Tin Whistle (*cough* hit and miss *cough*), a malty offering of bready, toasted notes, biscuit and light caramel. Very, very, very faint grassy hops well into the background. Reminds me of a Marzen or Oktoberfest.

Dry, toasty malt brings things down to a more one-dimensional level, dandelion greens hop character rounds things out in a flat he said, she said passionless balance.

Mouthfeel feels a bit disjointed as well, some wonkiness between what starts out as a medium-body with an unexpectedly abrasive carbonation that tends to detract from the overall experience, the overall balance is off.

Looks great, smells fantastic, and then everything goes south from there, another mediocre amber ale that goes limp and lifeless where it really counts and doesn't regain its footing from there. If the flavour matched the aroma this would be an instant winner.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 08:35:29 | More by IronDjinn