Beer Review: Battlefield Brew Works Hop Artillery Amber

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 6.8 percent

Appearance: Hop Artillery Amber poured a glowing ruby red with a few brown and amber highlights glistening elsewhere throughout the body. The brew was crowned with a slightly off-white head that was about a finger's width and had some very decent staying power. The head remained approximately a quarter inch thick most of the way down and left ample lacing inside the glass. The lacing wasn't thick and foamy, but thin. Still, this was very attractive to see.

Smell: This had a few strong hints of citrus from the dry hopping that took place. According to the Brew Works' website, this beer is dry hopped with both Amaris and Citra hops. The hoppiness of this was somewhat pungent, but in no way got in the way of the roasty and caramel undertones of the malt.

Taste: The tip of my tongue caught some sweet caramel and sweet, yet roasted malt notes. The hops acted in an interesting way in the brew. They provided a nice citrus flavor as well as some nice bite on the finish. The noticeable citrus made this one of those beers that makes me a bigger fan of dry-hopped brews. The head of the beer that remained provided a creamy kiss as the beer went down. I didn't notice much carbonation present, but the smoothness of the head made up for that in the texture department.

Overall Rating: 

I really enjoyed having this beer. If I could change anything, it would be more balance in flavor. The hops and citrus notes from said hops are a little more present than the other typical characteristics of an Amber Ale. I do prefer a little more maltiness in these, but since the entire purpose of this beer is to up the hop content a tad, I can't knock it too much. Still, the zing in this brew was quite appetizing.