After reading the reviews of North Coast Brewing Co. on The Perfectly Happy Man and seeing how highly rated their beers were, I figured it was time to introduce myself to this brewery. I primarily drink beer from breweries in my state of Michigan as I’m just doing my part to support the ailing economy. I figured this was a good time to expand my horizons and help California’s wretched economy.

The color of this beer was a golden, amber. The color set the tone for what I got out of the beer – very balanced and complex. It has a very foamy head that quickly dissipates and leaves a lot of lacing. The smell is primarily of hops with a little bit of citrus notes and some sweet malts.

I can understand why this beer has won so many awards including a few gold medals at the World Beer Championships. It has a great balance of flavors. It first tastes sweet and fruity because of the malts. Soon the fruity flavor fades and then there is a nice amount of hops with some spices that linger in the mouth. This beer was much hoppier than most amber ales I’ve had but made it a very enjoyable beer that I would drink again.

If you are looking for a great amber ale to try, pick up a bottle of this balance of spice and hops.

ABV: 5.5%

Grade: A-