Banks Amber Ale - Banks (Barbados) Breweries Limited

Cardmarauder

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +2%

10-20-2012 16:20:19 | More by Cardmarauder

modidia

New York

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

01-25-2013 01:43:58 | More by modidia

HopsintheSack

California

3/5  rDev -12.5%

09-18-2012 19:32:06 | More by HopsintheSack

afksports

New York

3.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Get it out of your head. You are in Barbados. You will not be drinking a pale ale. You will not be drinking an IPA. They are not on this island. If you want that, go somewhere else. Or just enjoy what they do have. This - Banks Amber Ale - this is what you will drink if you want an ale that isn't a stout.

That is literally your choice.

Banks also runs distribution, so in essence, they don't have to offer this beer. But in 2009 or so, they started making it, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

It's a copper hued and pasteurized brew with solid head that sustains throughout the pour, even in my plastic cup. It actually has a hop character when you smell it. Mostly grapefruit, citrus, maybe a touch of grass, and that tiny aroma is definitely subtle - yet still detectable! After days on the island drinking scotch because the lager was so bad, I was ecstatic to smell the hops. On the brewery tour they say they source hops from Australia and the Yakima valley, so they're actually using good sources too. Exciting!

The taste has no hint of it's 5% alcohol, and is mostly sweetly malted, with a tiny hop character beginning the taste and offering a final finishing bitter note. The malt makes the beer smell as sweet as the taste. In fact, it was described as a "sweet beer" by our tour guide. I can't disagree, although I might use a different term: tame.

Start to finish, it's easy-drinking, light and bready, and it tastes like craft. Light bodied, but still feels good going down.

Overall, it's your one single ale option on the island, and it's not available in most places, so any ale-lover will be pleased to sip on this one, even if it's not elite.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2011 01:29:41 | More by afksports

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

11.2oz brown "plastic" bottle. Freshness date on cap.
It pours, as it should, a pure golden amber color with a nice off-white head along with some patchy and stringy lacing.

The aroma is mostly of biscuity malt and damp hay. A light citrusy smell and a faint whiff of pears emerge.

A light, but well-rounded malt body holds a unique flavor of candy apples and slight biscuity taste.

The hops provide and clean citrusy taste along with a mild metallic tang.
This is a pleasant tasting, light Amber. Nice to enjoy a few on a hot day without feeling any serious alcoholic effects.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2007 17:45:51 | More by BeerResearcher