Green's Discovery Amber Ale

I'm in PA with my in-laws family for Christmas. The house was stocked with regular beer and of course, wine. After two days of wine induced stomach aches (after two glasses! Seriously!) my brother in law kindly obliged to drive me to the liquor store in Delaware to pick up whatever sort of gluten free beer I could find. The selections, after looking a while and finally finding them in the singles section, were Redbridge (surprise!) and a Belgian type named Green's which I hadn't had before. You can probably guess I purchased a variety of greens. At 5.99 a bottle they were bit on the expensive side but gluten free beggars can't be choosers, and it's all in the name of science, correct?

There were three types, all sold in 500 ML bottles. I purchased one of each and am going to do three days of reviews. Because I can't take these back with me on the plane (our only check-able bag is soft-sided and I don't want glass bottles in it) I'm going to have to finish them before the weekend is up and we fly back to Colorado.

Only one of the three is labeled gluten free on the bottle, but a quick google search (thank you Brother-in-laws IPhone!) revealed that all three were gluten free and were okay for me to drink. I'm going to start with the one that is the lightest and work my way up to the Endeavor Dubble and Quest Tripel Ales.


Green's Discovery Amber Ale

Link: Greens Gluten Free Beer Page

Maker's Description: Medium-bodied with subtle caramel and nut flavor nuances. Refined, herbal hop aroma and finish. OG: 1.056; IBU: 32; ABV:6.0%

Look: This beer is a dark just-a-shade-lighter-than molasses color. It has great depth to the color, and looks dynamic when poured into a pint glass. Cloudy. It retains its fluffy cream colored head quite well despite swirling, and actually it took me two pours to get this one right it was so foamy! My husband poured himself a glass and found a similar problem, so maybe this time it's not just my bad pouring technique. After about ten minutes it peters up but it stays clinging to the side of the glass.

Smell: I'm nursing some allergies or a small cold (I know I shouldn't be reviewing right now, but this stuff isn't coming on the plane home with me!) so my sense of smell is a bit off...but this beer is strong enough that I'm able to smell the tangy highlights.

Taste: Very tart and tangy, with fruity notes. When my husband sipped this one he explained that it was almost like a cider, and while I wouldn't go that far it definitely has hints of apples and a bit of tartness to it. Jon noticed that it was thin compared to other ails that he usually drinks, but it seems thicker to me, who's palate is limited to gluten free beers. Aftertaste is tingly, and not at all bitter, but as it warms up the 6% alcohol becomes more apparent.

Where to Buy:I found this at Total Liquor in Delaware. I haven't seen this anywhere else, but I assume it is distributed elsewhere.