Beer Review: Antietam Ale

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.5 percent

Appearance: Antietam Ale pours on the darker side of an amber. A few reddish hues peak in and out of the body as well. I wouldn't call the body hazy, but there is a slight thickness to it that prevents you from seeing through it. This beer doesn't look watered down at all. The most visually-pleasing feature of this brew is definitely the very thick and frothy head. It's more of a cream color than a pure white. Some beige can be found within.

Smell: The aroma of this beer lends it to seem like a much darker one than it actually is. I got plenty of roasted notes. There is also a strong maltiness that comes through and provides a subtle hint of sweetness.

Taste: This beer has a touch of sweetness on the front, but it's not exactly sugary. The roasted parts of the brew take over as it heads towards the back of your tongue. Be prepared for a bitter finish with an above-average hop kick. Overall, everything is well-balanced in the taste department. I couldn't taste it, but I could certainly feel an alcohol presence half-way through this drink. Always a plus when my taste buds aren't sizzling with booze.

Overall Rating: 

I was very excited to come across a case of this beer as it was a limited release. From what I could find, it's made as close as possible to the way an English Bitter was brewed back around the time of the Battle of Antietam. The bitterness is strong immediately after the pour, but it mellows out as the beer warms.

History Brews On

I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend purchase a case of the Brewer's Alley/Civil War Museum of Medicine Antietam Ale and truck it all of the way here from Frederick back before Thanksgiving.

I previously mentioned the thought of wondering about what styles of beer would also be produced along with what the names of said beers would be. According to the Frederick News Post, the next installment of this Civil War-themed beer celebration was released the night before I left Frederick after my most recent visit.

The next beer in the series is called Proclamation Porter and is obviously named in honor of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. There seems to be a slight chronological theme in the release of these beers so far as the first beer was called Antietam Ale. The Proclamation followed the Battle of Antietam in 1862.

The article also mentions the next two installments. One being "First Draught" set for a March release and another being "Gettysburg Wheat" that's due in July which will mark the 150th anniversary of the clash (how fitting). I will try my best to be at that release party in July. The label should have something to do with the Rose Farm since it's being named after the wheat that soaked up so much blood 150 years ago.

New Civil War Beer Series

I'd hate to harp on the subject of history and beer once again, but when you really think about it beer is a huge part of world history. So, when I catch news of new beers like Frederick's Monocacy Brewing I get a bit excited.

Taken right down the street from Brewer's Alley in Frederick.

If you take a look at this article from the Frederick News Post, you'll see that Monocacy, Brewers Alley and the National Museum of Civil war Medicine have all combined to begin a series of up to nine beers celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

Apparently the first of the possible nine is out. It's called Antietam Ale and was made in time for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam which was just last month. From what I read in the article, the beer seems to have a nice hop kick, but with a sessionable ABV.

I can't wait to see what the rest of the beers in this Civil War series will be and how some of the beer styles relate to their namesakes. I especially can't wait for the Gettysburg one, but you pretty much assumed that already, right?