American Amber Ale Style

stlbrewminati — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 22:00:00 +0000

An Overview of the Style

The American Amber Ale style is a modern American craft beer style developed as a variation from American Pale Ales. The American Amber Ale style can overlap in color with darker American pale ales, but with a different malt flavor and balance. Some regional variations exist with some of them being fairly mainstream and others being quite aggressive in hopping. Stronger and more bitter versions are now split into the Red IPA style.

2015 BJCP Style Guidelines (American Amber Ale – 19A)

OG	1.045 – 1.060
FG	1.010 – 1.015
ABV	4.5% – 6.2%
IBU	25 – 40
SRM	10 – 17

AppearanceAromaFlavorMouthfeelCharacteristic Ingredients

Amber to coppery-brown in color. Moderately large off-white head with good retention. Generally quite clear, although dry-hopped versions may be slightly hazy.

Low to moderate hop aroma with characteristics typical of American or New World hop varieties (citrus, floral, pine, resinous, spicy, tropical fruit, stone fruit, berry, or melon). A citrusy hop character is common, but not required. Moderately-low to moderately-high maltiness (usually with a moderate caramel character), which can either support, balance, or sometimes mask the hop presentation. Esters vary from moderate to none.

Moderate to high hop flavor with characteristics typical of American or New World hop varieties (citrus, floral, pine, resinous, spicy, tropical fruit, stone fruit, berry, or melon). A citrusy hop character is common, but not required. Malt flavors are moderate to strong, and usually show an initial malty sweetness followed by a moderate caramel flavor (and sometimes other character malts in lesser amounts). Malt and hop bitterness are usually balanced and mutually supportive, but can vary either way. Fruity esters can be moderate to none. Caramel sweetness and hop flavor/bitterness can linger somewhat into the medium to full finish.

Medium to medium-full body. Medium to high carbonation. Overall smooth finish without astringency. Stronger versions may have a slight alcohol warmth.

Pale ale malt, typically North American two-row. Medium to dark crystal malts. May also contain specialty grains which add additional character and uniqueness. American or New World hops, often with citrusy flavors, are common but others may also be used.

Educational Material For The American Amber Ale Style

Did you miss getting the handout from our meeting where we discussed the American Amber Ale style? Download it now or print it out.

Sample American Amber Ale Recipe

Our September competition is for the American Amber Ale style. To help you create your own American Amber Ale recipe, we’ve included a sample recipe as a starting point for those who aren’t sure where to start. Amber Waves of Grain was a 2011 AHA National Homebrew Competition medal winner.

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STL Brewminati July 2021 Club Meeting

stlbrewminati — Sat, 05 Jun 2021 05:06:59 +0000

Join us for our July 2021 club meeting on Wed, July 14th, at 7 PM CST. During our July meeting, we’ll be discussing the American Amber Ale style for our […]

The post STL Brewminati July 2021 Club Meeting appeared first on St Louis Brewminati.

American Amber Ale Archives – St Louis Brewminati