Ambar Especial - La Zaragozana S.A.

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11oz dark brown bottle. Very generous 06/09/05 best before date.
It pours a shiny brassy gold color with a medium sized white head. Lots of low-lying clingy little bubbles rise up from the sides and bottom of the glass.
The smell of grain, cut dry grass lasts awhile. A touch of alcohol vapor rises up then fades.
A taste bread dough, unsalted Saltines and light sugary sweetness balances well with sharp hoppy flavors. Grapefruit rind zest, lemon bitterness and a bit of metallic tang gives this an edgy, cutting quality.
Warming alcohol is noticed in the background.
Not bad!

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2004 01:43:26 | More by BeerResearcher

tone77

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a light golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is sweet, grains, corn. Taste is not so good. Something a bit sour or medicinal like is present, along with grains and corn. Not sure what it is, but it's not pleasant. Feels light in the mouth and overall I was not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 12:16:44 | More by tone77

mcewesr

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -18.2%

04-22-2013 20:54:44 | More by mcewesr

Petertauro

Spain

5/5  rDev +81.8%

04-17-2013 12:41:48 | More by Petertauro

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.24/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Being as that our options for buying single bottles of beer are so limited, I tend to pounce like a (Pitt) panther on any that I see in various coolers that I scour. This was just such a recent score.

From the bottle: "Lager Beer Biere Speciale Bier Cat I Birra Speciale Super"; "Brewed & Bottled in Spain, Espagne, Spanien, Spagna, Spanje".

My pour produced a foamy, soapy finger of bone-white head with moderate retention. Color was a deep-gold with NE-quality clarity. Nose smelled especial with an odd sweetness, not honey-like as lager should be, but with a kind of chemical quality, too. Not as odd as Minhas, but not right, either. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was not all that bad, with a cereal sweetness along with a metallic tang and a smoky, anise quality. Okay, I have no idea what adjuncts went into this one, but it surely did not include corn. This was one strange piece of chicken. Finish was semi-dry and not all that bad, if it really is an AAL. I was surprised, but still not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 02:25:48 | More by woodychandler

Noelito76

New York

2.5/5  rDev -9.1%

03-17-2013 15:32:11 | More by Noelito76

karait95

Mexico

2.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: straw color very pale maybe some golden hues inside, body looks very light with some carbonation and a withe little head that disappears fasts and doesn't last on top of the beer, nothing to remember.

S: some malts can be sensed but nothing important and not something to notice.

T: average flavor to say something positive a malty body is sensed just that.

M: not very pleasant sensation it is light and to refresh but not nice, a lasting ending but not the good one that you remember.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 03:57:30 | More by karait95

Kyrojack

Indiana

1/5  rDev -63.6%

11-28-2012 01:02:12 | More by Kyrojack

nico_freespirit

3/5  rDev +9.1%

11-20-2012 17:16:51 | More by nico_freespirit

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev +9.1%

11-07-2012 02:23:58 | More by cfalovo97

jonmikel

Spain

3.75/5  rDev +36.4%

10-21-2012 08:30:47 | More by jonmikel

Gregwa

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev +9.1%

06-15-2012 01:14:54 | More by Gregwa

wgfxkmf

North Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -9.1%

05-29-2012 06:21:52 | More by wgfxkmf

TMoney2591

Illinois

3/5  rDev +9.1%

04-29-2012 02:54:12 | More by TMoney2591

bpfrush

Wisconsin

2/5  rDev -27.3%

11-16-2011 02:42:04 | More by bpfrush

Hibernator

Massachusetts

2.42/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Ambar Especial
11.2 oz brown bottled
Served in a glass and out of the bottle

Pours a cloudy light amber with a decent head.

Not a pleasant beer by any stretch of the imagination. Weird malts whiffs with a sour herbal kick.

A sweet flavored and lightly malted beer. The finish is watery and fizzy. There is a weird sour milk thing going on here.

I love beer, but this one is a struggle.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 22:31:15 | More by Hibernator

Sunnanek

Sweden

1.68/5  rDev -38.9%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Pour is straw colored and the white small head sinks quickly into decent lacings.

S: Corn galore, sweet malt and only faint bitter hops.

T: The corn is dominant. Sweet malt and bitter hops are in the back. Some citric notes.

M: Body is light and carbonation strong. Aftertaste holds some bready notes combined with bitterness, but to me it's very artificial.

O: On a warm summer day on a beach in Spain, why not? Otherwise; you could pick a better beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 21:36:57 | More by Sunnanek

rarbring

Sweden

1.93/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

The beer is clear pale straw colored, small bubbles, a white head that settles quickly, but leaves some lacing.

The smell is weak, very corn cereal, a bit sweet, raisins and strawberries- No acidity, no bitterness.

Starts sweet, once more the strawberry association, some corn flakes, anonymous fruity tones, like esters, a slight sour, lemon, and bitter soap presence.

Medium low carbonation, small bubbles, no body, a chemical soapy feeling. A somewhat dry finish.

Overall I find it hard imagining this beer to be good in any situation.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 17:35:48 | More by rarbring

bark

Sweden

2.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The smell is malty with semi-sweet notes. Bitter hints in the background. It is clean and a bit simple.

The colour is pale yellow (5 EBC), the liquid is clear. The finger thick head is white; it sinks quickly leaving no lacing.

The taste is clean and light with some malty sweetness and a barley noticeable bitterness. The aftertaste is light with some bitter hints, a touch of sulphur and sweet hints of cereals.

The carbonation is medium to strong; the small bubbles short-lasting. The liquid is a bit smooth.

An average adjunct lager. Probably a great thirst-drencher.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 19:09:06 | More by bark

endovelico

Portugal

2.58/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into stein.

Appearance: Pours a yellow-golden brew with a thin cap that holds reasonably for a macro-lager. Slight lacing and decent head retention. Non perceived effervescence.

Aroma: Assertive grainy aroma with strong adjunct notes. Prominent enough, albeit not really that pleasant. Faint evergreen hops aroma.

Taste: Bland and unremarkable. You can just barely taste the sweet corn. Theres a noticeable metallic twang to it aswell. Very uninteresting.

Palate: Medium high carbonation. Light bodied. Low bitterness. Dries out but leaves a metallic / adjuncty taste.

Drinkability: Very unremarkable even by macro-lager standards. It's very light, yet i struggle to finish it. Overall, it's probably as low as i'll rate a beer without severe flaws.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 22:02:27 | More by endovelico

1fastz28

Illinois

2.63/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

first beer from spain, atleast i think so, but if this is like other spanish beers, zzz

its like a crappy version of budweiser, a generic plane lager.

looks average, has a slightly more amber color to it, but thats about it.

smell is of corn and water, taste is prety boring, a mixture of adjuncts, corn, water, and a little bit of alcohol.

its somewhat refreshing if that means much of anything.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2009 05:10:02 | More by 1fastz28

Vancer

Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours surprising light amber - kinda straw yellow with a tint of copper from the 11.2oz bottle, no dating. Not to bad of a white head, and an attempt at sheet lacing.

Euro skunk with a malt backbone in the aroma, quaff is a lifeless club soda - with a bit of beer mixed into the brew. Not offensive, but nothing going on either. Glad this is a one and done sample.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2008 20:38:18 | More by Vancer

KarlHungus

Minnesota

1.9/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This beer pours a watery, clear, pale bronze color with light amber tints. The aroma is of caramel malt, but it is so faint that it is nearly impossible to detect. The taste is like the aroma. It is a little stronger, but not by much. The mouthfeel is light bodied with an annoyingly high level of carbonation. Overall, this is a bad beer that I will not drink again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2008 23:38:43 | More by KarlHungus

budgood1

Minnesota

2.53/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

pours out a clear dark golden colour, with a thin but tight frothy head. enough lacing to satisfy my eyes. light grainy aroma...i swore i smelled tomatos too. grainy taste in the european style, but much more subdued than the german or eastern european counterparts. the sturdy malt base is held together by some light hopping, but pretty much the entire beer revolves around the coarse graininess. the body is fullish and rounded and the mouthfeel is a bit rough and tumble. finishes with a lingering graininess that gets annoying. drinkability is ok if you like a change of pace and enjoy the euro offerings of american style lagers. overall, it's uninspired and rough around the edges. i wouldn't recommend it, but if you see it, try it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2007 22:39:47 | More by budgood1

jcdiflorio

West Virginia

2/5  rDev -27.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

poured into a nonic glass from a 12oz long neck brown bottle with a crimped on cap. Could not read the year part of the best by date.

Hazy,pale light amber color with a loud fizzing 1" white head quickly dissapating into a slight coating of foam. No carbination visable looked flat and uninviting.

A sweet grainy aroma with some grassyiness,also metallic and some vinious aromas present

Grainy taste,syrupyiness that wasn't enjoyable.a very slight burnt taste and a bit vinious.A sweet dry finish. The taste reminded me of a malt liqcour.

Light mouthfeel,some cloying making it feel medium bodied,was also grainy.
12 oz of this beer was enough could not drink another.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2007 03:02:30 | More by jcdiflorio