David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Elk Mountain Amber Ale

Initial Impressions:

What a find, eh? This past Friday afternoon, my contemporary political theory seminar was bar hopping (as we were wont to do) in Edison, WA. Edison has a population of roughly 1500. While not what one would call a cosmopolitan municipality, the bar where I had Elk Mountain on tap has an appreciable beer selection, including Paulaner HefeWeizen, a handful of NW micros, and even Chimay in the bottle. In Seattle, even Bellingham, we are used to such appointments, but one would not expect such in Edison. (If you are ever in the area, the bar in question is the Longhorn Tavern.)

Arriving at the Longhorn, ready to devour some beer and burgers lightly salted with Foucault and Habermas, I noticed a tap handle that I did not recognize. This is standard practice in the Northwest (sorry for the gloat) and I generally try them before the more established regulars. I asked the barkeep who the brewer was of this mystery beer, and she replied "Anheuser-Busch". Needless to say, my interest was piqued, especially considering the ongoing propaganda that said company has been spewing regarding the relation between Bud Light and Home/Microbrewers. The barkeep claimed that they were the first tavern in Washington to get said beer (a claim which I would tend to doubt considering the location) but I am fairly confident in her claim that it was a fresh keg.

Now, the review. This beer was served draught, and I ordered a "glass", garnering me roughly 10 ounces. It was also served very cold, although it did warm up as I slowly sampled it. The beer was reviewed on June 10, 1994. It claimed to be an "Amber Ale", and the color more or less reflected this claim. It was indeed a light to mid Amber. It was brilliantly crystal clear, and I wouldn't expect any less from a company so adept at removing stuff from their beer. The head was white, thick, and it hung around, leaving a nice degree of lacework down the glass.

Nose:

There was a hint of malt and hops in the nose, but only a hint. Upon further concentration, I did manage to conclude that there was more malt than hops in the nose, but that may have been my imagination talking. There was also something else in the nose, which I think may have been (but I didn't want to believe it at the time) some apple-notes. This would indicate to me that they used the same yeast as Bud, or a mixed strain which included the Bud yeast. Their yeast is somewhat known for producing acetylaldehyde, perceived as freshly-cut green apple, as a by-product of fermentation at levels well above the threshold of taste, and word is that AB is proud of this. While this isn't a bad thing, and I am all in favor of AB continuing with their apple yeast because it lends their product a modicum of distinction, I would be concerned if this lager yeast found its way into an "ale".

Flavor:

Remarkably "empty", to borrow the description of one of my companions. The flavor was clean, which I would expect. The body wasn't exactly light; heck, I'd say that it had a medium body. There was a slight fruitiness present, very little malt, and the only place I could spot the hops was in the background of the finish, and I had to go looking for them at that. Another concern made itself evident during the tasting; in addition to the apple notes in the nose, there was a flavor in the profile that I couldn't place until I recalled who had brewed the beer. While I am unsure about this, I think the beer may be brewed with rice. I couldn't pin down that flavor, since I rarely drink a beer with rice in it anymore, but I suspect it is present in this beer.

Final Analysis:

The next bar we went to in Edison lacked the sophisticated beer selection that the Longhorn had. Being a more neighborly-oriented establishment, I figured I would do as the neighbors were doing, and ordered up a Mason jar full of Bud. Heck, it was happy hour, and the whole pint cost a buck. Seriously, though, there was some "science" behind this tasting. Since the Elk Mountain had a couple of nuances that reminded me of Budweiser, I figured I would reacquaint myself with those flavors. Sure enough, I found both the same apple-notes and the mystery flavor that I have pinned on rice in the Budweiser. The apple notes were more evident in the Elk Mountain, possibly suggesting a higher fermentation temperature (?) than the Budweiser. I could be completely loopy as to the "rice" flavor, and that may be a fermentation by-product that I am tasting, but I found it in both the Elk Mountain and the Budweiser. In fact, the EM seemed to be a slightly darker, fuller-bodied Bud. On the other hand, AB's marketing department claims that this is an all-malt beer, which would preclude the use of rice. Furthermore, they also claim the use of an "Enlgish ale yeast," which would seem, on the surface, to shoot down any theories regarding the same yeast being used in both the Budweiser lager and the Elk Mountain ale. However, I remain sceptical.

Back at the Longhorn, my companions had ordered up a pitcher of Pyramid Special Bitter. The contrast between the Pyramid and the Elk Mountain was sharp. The Pyramid had everything one would expect from a craft beer; pretty much everything that the Elk Mountain lacked.

Rating: **

(out of five)

Next Up:

I really don't know. I have a bottle of Boulder Porter in the fridge I have been itching to try. I also want to review the Red Hook IPA if I manage to get off my duff and roll down to the Trollyman. The Big Time has a new Dortmunder which is excellent. Apparently, they lagered it, and from tasting it, I imagine that the water was hardened considerably.
Copyright 1994, 1995 by David Brockington, all rights reserved.
Seattle

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dbrock@u.washington.edu
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