David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Wild Goose Amber Beer

I have some catching up to do as a new box full of beer arrived Saturday. Thanks again to the usual suspects.

Initial Impressions:

The beer came packaged in a green bottle. No stylistic aspirations besides being an "Amber Beer" were claimed by the label, so I had to make some assumptions on style as I went along.

The color was a very light Amber. It was closer to pale than amber, imho. The beer was hazy as well, and the head collapsed rather quickly, leaving absolutely no lacework down the glass as the beer was consumed. (The glasses of the other three reviewers yielded the same result, so my guess is that the head retention of this beer is mediocre to poor). It wasn't as hazy as the previous Wild Goose product I reviewed (the Sam Middleton's Pale Ale) however.

Nose:

There was a modest amount of malt profile evident in the nose, combined with an overwhelming assault of fruitiness. In my opinion, there was too much fruitiness. It was reminiscent of the Sam Middleton's Pale, and I would suspect that the same yeast and fermentation procedure is followed for both beers. This yeast throws off an amazing amount of esters, and I am not terribly sure I would want to use it in my own beer. However, if you enjoy that side of an ale's profile, and I mean *really* enjoy it, you will find something to appreciate in these Wild Goose beers.

Flavor:

Unlike the Sam Middleton's Pale, the body in the Amber is quite thin. I would suspect a mash conversion temperature in the real low 150's, at least on this batch. There is a slight maltiness in the flavor, as one would suspect from the maltiness displayed in the nose, but this is quickly overwhelmed by an aggressive acidic note. This acidic note dominates an unusually thin finish as well. Hops are not evident anywhere in this glass.

Final Analysis:

When I reviewed Sam Middleton's Pale, I was withholding judgment on this brewery. Perhaps I came into a bad bottle. However, it appears that, at least during the period when these bottles were brewed, Wild Goose was brewing mediocre beer. The Amber had an unusually high acidity to it which leads one to guess at a bacterial infection. Since I am not able to sample their beers over an extended period of time, I cannot comment on their consistency, and there is always the possibility that the bottles I received were simply a manifestation of a brief period of bad luck for the brewery. However, with the Amber, nobody at the table could bring themselves to finish it.

Rating (based on 5 stars):

*

Next Up:

Snow Goose Winter Ale
Copyright 1994 by David Brockington, all rights reserved

David Brockington, Seattle, USA
bronyaur@u.washington.edu