Gerst Amber
Yazoo Brewing Company in Madison, Tennessee, United States 🇺🇸
Amber / Red Ale - American Regular|
Score
5.84
|
|
50% Pale malt
31% Vienna malt
12% Cara 20 malt
7% Flaked maize
Bittered with Perle, flavor and aroma with Tettnanger
Fermented on the cool side with our house ale yeast, around 62 F for primary fermentation. The cool temperature restrains our house ale yeast, so that the beer is very clean, with a slight ester that we think pairs up well with the caramel flavors from the Cara 20 malt. So it’s an ALE, but with the clean character of a typical lager, and without the slight sulfury notes some lager yeasts give.
So where did we come up with the recipe? The Chandlers did not have any original recipe information, so we relied on descriptions from the time, plus some information on the recipe that Evansville Brewing used when the Chandlers introduced Gerst Amber back into Nashville in the 1990’s. Most of the beers that the William Gerst Brewing Company would have made would have been lagers, likely in the German style, but they did produce some ales. As far as ingredients, we used mostly German malts, but with a small portion of flaked maize (corn). I can’t be sure, but I would guess that some of these adjunct malts would have been used.
31% Vienna malt
12% Cara 20 malt
7% Flaked maize
Bittered with Perle, flavor and aroma with Tettnanger
Fermented on the cool side with our house ale yeast, around 62 F for primary fermentation. The cool temperature restrains our house ale yeast, so that the beer is very clean, with a slight ester that we think pairs up well with the caramel flavors from the Cara 20 malt. So it’s an ALE, but with the clean character of a typical lager, and without the slight sulfury notes some lager yeasts give.
So where did we come up with the recipe? The Chandlers did not have any original recipe information, so we relied on descriptions from the time, plus some information on the recipe that Evansville Brewing used when the Chandlers introduced Gerst Amber back into Nashville in the 1990’s. Most of the beers that the William Gerst Brewing Company would have made would have been lagers, likely in the German style, but they did produce some ales. As far as ingredients, we used mostly German malts, but with a small portion of flaked maize (corn). I can’t be sure, but I would guess that some of these adjunct malts would have been used.
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6.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Pretty drinkable for an amber biscuit bomb, easygoing and not overly sweet, mild hints of toast and butter and caramel, with the slightest inkling of a woodsy hop bitterness to round out the back end. Mid hints of apple add depth, and the finish is liquid biscuit. Reminded me of the new beers coming out of this Mexican lager craze even before I saw the description, and makes me think this pint might be a reasonable alternative whenever my rare inexplicable Corona craving kicks in. Not great, but way better than I figured.
Tried
from Can
on 06 May 2018
at 00:00
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Sampled from the tap at Yazoo BNA. Pours a clear gold with an amber hue and a white head that dissipates to the edges. Aroma has sweet grains, biscuit and a hint of butterscotch underlying. Flavor sweet grains and biscuit with some cookie and a hint of butterscotch backing.
Tried
from Draft
on 15 Oct 2017
at 17:42
5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Sample at Mellow Mushroom Nashville. Cloudy pale copper color with a thin off-white head that dissipates quickly to an outer ring. Short strings of lace. Grainy malt, fruit and a touch of hops in the nose. Light-bodied with a grainy malt character and notes of caramel and mild earthy hops. The finish is sweet with a corn and grain aftertaste. Slightly below average overall.
Tried
on 25 Aug 2017
at 09:30
4.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Light rust like painted over lemons. Pours amber. Some caramel. Light sweet finish. Tap at brewpub.
Tried
from Draft
on 19 Feb 2017
at 20:01
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 4
Crotch warmed reddish orange. Smells interesting. I guess it’s am amber ale. Munich malts, rye. Spicy aroma. Thin carbonation. Thin finish. Not great
Tried
on 22 Jul 2016
at 23:25
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5
Bottle - pours gold white head - nose/taste of bread, flaked corn and caramel - med body
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jul 2016
at 19:23
5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 6
Bottle on RBSG bus. Pours a cloudy gold with medium white head that lasts. The aroma is spice, corn, grain. Medium body, toasted grain, corn malt, metallic finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jul 2016
at 16:26
5.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
Bottle - Dark malty notes. Clear copper with a small head. Light caramel. Boring and very simple.
Tried
from Bottle
on 15 Jul 2016
at 16:08
6/10
Tried
on 15 Jul 2016
at 16:05
3.9/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 4
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 3.5
Craft beer club beer July 2015. Pours a clear amber from a bottle with a root beer float colored head. Aroma of caramel corn, flavor of caramel and corn. Thin mouthfeel. Meh.
Tried
from Bottle
on 03 Aug 2015
at 22:07