Amber Waves Ale

On-tap at the Capitol Hill location, after a long day of doing the sites up and down The Mall.

Had a pint of this straight away, as soon as we got seated at the brewpub. It quenched a dire thirst, at first, but later certian flaws showed up in this beers, IMO.

Notably, the hop profile seemed just a bit too assertive for it's own good. I don't mind hoppy Ambers, mind you, but this beer's "intense floral hop character" really did seem to go a bit beyond what was neccesary. If I didn't know better, I'd say that this Amber was actually hoppier than the Pale Ale I had later....

Overally-assertive hop characteristics aside, this beer was just "okay" in my book. The malt profile (what little you can detect through the mask of raw hoppiness) seemed a little on the plain side of things.

None of these faults threw the drinkability off too much -- but I knew it would be my first and last time I'd go there. Can really use some "softening" to round out it's many hard & angular edges in the mouthfeel.

An "okay" beer, that did clear away the dust of The Mall from my throat. But nothing that I would give an enthusiastic thumbs up to or anything....
//TB