Archive for the 'Finnegan’s' category
Finnegan’s Irish Amber Ale
There are a couple of interesting things about the Finnegan’s Ale. The first thing that strikes me is that this is an amber ale made with potatoes – a little odd, but very Irish. Secondly, Finnegan’s gives every cent of the profit from their beers to charity. So, regardless of flavor, this beer is starting out on a good foot with me with those couple points of originality.
The Finnegan’s pours a rather light amber color – light relative to other beers of the genre. This beer does not, in fact, smell like a plate of mashed potatoes. Rather, it has a rather typical amber aroma, with some dark bready aromas and a hint of spice. It is, however, a bit less rich than some ambers I’ve encountered, and I’m getting just a touch of cinnamon. In the mouth, this beer is good, but it IS a bit different. Again, there are some sweet dark bready flavors here. In addition, there is some spice. However, the predominant presence here is an interesting twang that hits around the middle of the mouth. The twang is sweet and sour and, in fact, a little ‘meaty’. Perhaps this is the dash of potato talking, but it comes across with this flavor that, while exotic for an amber ale, overall gives this beer a less rich flavor, making it a bit crisper and maybe even more accessible than a typical amber. Granted, it’s quite different from most amber ales I’ve had, but I quite like it. I’d be interested to hear other opinions on this beer, as I could see it being somewhat divisive amongst amber fans…
