MadTree Brewing Happy Amber

Aroma: “Light coffee, toasted bread, biscuity malt, sweet caramel, citrusy/earthy hops. Very estery—mostly cherry but also some banana, rose, and blueberry. Light bready malt sweetness, but all I can think of is Pop-Tarts.” Flavor: “Very nice bready malt flavors edge out the esters, but they’re still pretty strong. The fruitiness is as strong as in some cherry wheat beers. Initial sweet malt, custard notes on the tip of tongue. Sweetness doesn’t linger. Citrusy/earthy hops. Mild astringency, with a lingering light bitterness and a dry finish.” Overall: “A well-executed American amber ale with just the right amount of hops character to balance the malt. The malt aroma leads the drinker in. Nice malt flavors with a light dry finish. Very drinkable and ‘more-ish.’ ”

Aroma: “Bright noble-hops notes, floral, spice, and honeysuckle. Slightly sweet pale malt aroma that joins pear, apple esters, and slight bubblegum.” Flavor: “Well-crafted malt complexity with depth of Continental base-malt character. The light sweetness of the malt works perfectly with the fruity esters and floral hops. Quite delicate, but with a zing from tangerine and lemongrass notes. Finishes smooth and dry.” Overall: “A well-designed and well- executed beer that is a near-perfect example of the style. A classic German hops character balanced wonderfully with grainy Pilsner malt make this an extremely drinkable Kölsch. It captures all of the malt character one could expect in such a light package without any of the less desirable side effects that malt can cause. Great balance where the whole is greater than just a sum of its parts.”

Aroma: “Light citrus and pine hops grounded with bready crystal malt. Nice fresh malt character—toasted muffin with a hint of molasses. Toast and caramel, some dark-fruit note. Slightly sweet. Medium stone-fruit or pear esters.” Flavor: “They stick the landing—strong toasty crystal malt with a moderate hops bitterness and flavor (although the hops seem somewhat oxidized). The finish is dryish (crackery), letting the earthy bitterness come to the forefront, but it’s still pretty mild. Got a slight plastic note and some astringency in the finish.” Overall: “Very much a hops-forward amber ale. No surprises, but a solid example. Nice bready start with medium body but finishes rougher than expected with a slightly astringent finish. As a result, it comes across as slightly unbalanced.”