MacTarnahan's Amber Ale

The fourth and final beer that I brought back from the Northwest is a MacTarnahan's Amber Ale. The MacTarnahan's Brewing Company was started in 1986 as the Portland Brewing Company with one mission: "Crafting delicious beers for a small (but growing) number of discerning beer lovers." Starting out as a 1,000 barrel per year brewpub in Portland, Oregon, MacTarnahan's started producing award winning beers such as Portland Ale, Original Oregon Honey Beer, and what has been dubbed Portland's Original Amber Ale, MacTarnahan's Amber Ale. Recently, MacTarnahan's was acquired by Pyramid Breweries of Seattle, expanding its mini-empire into three states. I picked up an Amber Ale in the Made in Oregon store at Portland International Airport before heading home. Yes, it's still made in Oregon, so it counts.



Here are the stats:

MacTarnahan's Amber Ale
BREWERY: MacTarnahan's Brewing Co., Portland, OR, USA (a division of Pyramid Brewing Co., Seattle, WA, USA)
FIRST BREWED: 1992
CALORIES/SERVING:
BITTERNESS: 30 IBUs
ABV:
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13° Plato (1052.85)
MALTS:
HOPS: Cascade
SERVING TEMPERATURE: °F (°C)
FOODS TO PAIR WITH: Grilled and smoked meats, full-flavored fish, fish and chips
AWARDS: A ton...1992 GABF Gold Medal, 1993 Sunriver (OR) Lodge Best of Show, 1993 Karnival of Beers (Fullerton, CA) Silver Medal, 1994 World Beer Championships Silver Medal, 1995 World Beer Championships Silver Medal and Best Buy, 1996 Association of Brewers' International Beer Competition Bronze Medal, 1996 World Beer Championships Silver Medal, 1996 International Beer Summit (Osaka, Japan) Gold Medal, 1997 World Beer Championships Silver Medal, 2006 GABF Gold Medal

I got some of this information from the Mac's Amber Ale page, and I hope to get the rest of it from an e-mail that I plan to send tonight.

This beer poured very well and had a nice aroma that was a mixture of grains and citrus. The beer itself was a rich clear amber color with an off-white head that looked very soft and puffy, retaining its shape long after being poured. At first taste, it did not have any trace of over-hoppiness (compare that to the Hale's Red Menace) and went down smoothly. It definitely gained a hoppy texture, but it was comparably muted throughout. The finish left a nice grainy aftertaste, but after a little while it started to go stale, the only downside to an otherwise pleasant beer.

Overall, this beer is a good one to go with a nice meal, especially the fish and chips at the Mac's brewpub (or so I'm told).

Prost!