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Well 9 days in bottles isn’t very long, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Knowing that the beer will improve as it ages just makes leaving it alone that much harder. It tastes pretty excellent already!

American Amber Ale

Today, I bottled the American Amber Ale I started a few weeks ago. This is probably the last beer, at least of the 5 gallon variety, of which I bottle the full volume. Kegging is in my future, without a doubt. I will still bottle for transportation, but cleaning and sanitizing that many bottles is just not my idea of a good time at all!

Final gravity was 1.007, down from an original gravity of 1.055. My American Amber Ale will pack a little more punch than is typical of the style, at 6.3% ABV. That, my friends, is not a complaint.

The clarity is pretty excellent, thanks to extra time in secondary (and an auto-siphon rather than tipping it out a spigot). My favorite part is the taste. Unlike my West Coast Pale Ale experiment from Mr. Beer, this beer actually has a nice balance between hop and malt character.

To say I plan on waiting a few weeks to try this with carbonation would be to tell a most uncool lie. I have one bottle that filled enough to get decent carbonation, but not the full monty. In a week or so, it will be popped open and enjoyed. Good chance I take some video of the first pour, like I did last time, as well.

American Amber Ale, with great clarity.