Uit een flesje in een Ierse pub in Santorini. Licht troebel, amber kleur, weinig schuim. Beetje zoet en beetje bitter, aardig bier.

Its a Red Donkey

American-style amber ale (at least that seems to be the intention) from this craft brewery on the volcanic island of Santorini. Bottle straight from Santorini shared by Goedele, cheers! Thick, cobweb-lacing, yellowish white head over a hazy brownish-tinged peachy amber beer, turning 'muddy' with sediment added. Aroma of candied apples, melting caramel, fig, marmelade or orange zest, peanuts, camomile, soap, ripe banana. Fruity onset, fresh fig and ripe banana sweet notes, peach, sourish undercurrent, medium fizz, biscuity and caramelly malt sweetness with a light, pleasant bread crumb-like quality on the sides; residual sugariness lends the whole a honeyish flavour. Elegant zesty and floral notes in the end, herbal hop bitterishness but not as much as would be the case in a modern American amber ale; phenolic yeasty notes appear too. Residual honeyish sweetness lingers, with some powdery yeastiness especially in the end, but quite efficiently dried by the citrus peel-like hop presence. Interesting beer, too yeasty and sweet for what it wants to be (almost 'Belgian' in that sense), but certainly pleasant, technically well-made and elegant enough especially seen its geographical context and origins.

330 ml bottle, thanks to Holmen1. ABV is 5.5%. Cloudy brown colour, moderate off-white head. Fairly nice and strong aroma of malts, caramel, bread and red fruits. The flavour has first malts, caramel and bread again, followed by some fruit, and ending in a fairly distinct hop bitterness, with some woody notes. Not too bad this one.

Flaske på The Boathouse Hotel i Kamari (Santorini): lett uklar rødig kobber med fint skum som varer. Karamellkjeks, ristet brød, snev av hvit pepper og litt urter? Halvtørr bitterhet i den lange ettersmaken, men at de har brukt belgisk gjær merker jeg ikke.

Immigrant Tap Room, bottle: pours amber with a white head. Aroma is very light and malty with some toffee or something. Taste is pretty light. Light malts. Low hops. Meh.

Bottle at a craft beer testing session. pours hazy amber with off-white head. Notes of spices, clove, grapes, some smokiness detected. Carbonation is a bit too much for my taste. Roasty malts, herbal notes, maybe pine.

330ml bottle, thanks to Rouhlas, Pours murky brown with short-lived off-white head. Aroma is murky caramel and sweet malts. Taste is nutty, grainy, malty, some caramel and dried fruits. Not quite ’hip hoppy’ as the label says, but not unpleasant. Just a bit bland and lacking character.

330 ml bottle. Pours a hazy brown amber with moderate head. Aromas of malts. Flavors same, full with only a light bitter edge.