Second time is the charm - St. Arnold Amber

One of the pitfalls of trying to canvas the craft beer universe to try new ones for a review is that I rarely try more than one or two of a certain beer before forming an opinion on them. I am a big fan of the make your own 6 pack that some of the better markets feature. This allows me to get 6 different beers and form an opinion before making the commitment of buying 6 of them. However, it also means that some beers only get one shot for the thumbs up or down.

One beer recently has made me rethink my stance on one strike and you're out rule for new beers. Margaret's grandfather, Pop picked up a 6 pack of St. Arnold Amber when he was in Texas visiting family there. I have enjoyed several of the St. Arnold beers in the past and the Amber is the first beer they brewed. Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I received 6 of them, however the first one I tried was not what I was expecting. With the name Amber, I expected it to be more like the Amber I am most familiar with, the Abita Amber from the Abita brewery in Abita Springs, LA. The St. Arnold Amber was not the color I expected. It appeared to be more of a golden beer to me. It's taste was also not what I was expecting. I had one and decided that I would shelve doing a review of it until later.

Fast forward to a recent evening where I was grilling and wanted to have a beer, simply for the sake of having a beer. I turned to the St. Arnold Amber I had in the fridge and was very surprised that my first impression did not do this beer justice. I poured the beer into a pint glass and was amazed at the head on this one. I don't remember this from the last time I had one.

This picture does not do the head justice. I had fully not intended to go all beer dork on this one, so I waited a couple of minutes before taking the picture. The head was a full 3 fingers.

Appearance: Beer poured a clear dark golden color. The Amber name had me thinking it would be a darker color, like the Abita version. As previously mentioned, the soft fluffy head was very impressive. The head had some good retention also. Medium carbonation was noted also, which provided good lacing.

Smell: This beer had a mild floral hoppy smell, but nothing very strong.

Taste/Mouthfeel: The Amber had a very smooth taste. Some fruity sweetness on the finish was noted. As it warmed up, I picked up some of the malt flavor. Nothing about the flavor was particularly robust, but it was very drinkable.

Overall: My first impression on this one was not accurate. I had an expectation of what this beer should be and did not let its merits stand alone. Although it is a little high at 5.8%ABV for a session beer, I think this one would make a good one due to its balance and drinkability.

This beer has taught me a lesson. One time with a beer is not enough to form a good opinion. So many things can go wrong with a beer the first time out. I have had some beers that for whatever reason just did not have their best day. Unlike the Olympics where stumbling on a hurdle in a race means waiting four more years for redemption, beers should get a do-over. Let this be a lesson to beer drinkers out there, a first impression on a beer may not be an accurate depiction of how it tastes. It may be a good idea to try one again. This one worked for me. For more info on this beer, please see http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/amber.html

Cheers!