Review of Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale

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Review of Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale

15 Jun

Today, I’m going to review a beer from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company located in Boonville, California called the Boont Amber Ale.

I’ve had this brew several times, but have yet to give or post a proper review. I’m looking forward to having it again though because I remember liking it very much.

On their website, avbc.com, one can tell that Anderson Valley is very proud of this product.

From deep in the Anderson Valley comes the world-famous, award-winning, crowd-pleasing Boont Amber Ale. The Anderson Valley Brewing Company has been hand crafting this amazing ale for over twenty years, making Boont Amber Ale one of the most respected, enjoyed, and sought-after craft beers of all time.

Boont Amber Ale is an ode to balance, with a deep copper color offset by an off-white head. The slightly sweet malty backbone is balanced perfectly with a subtle hop bite and aroma, and a wonderfully fruity yeast profile.

Named “the best beer brewed in Northern California,” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, a beer like this is perfect with any meal, and is enjoyed night-after-night, all year round.
As with all of our products, Boont Amber Ale is never sterile filtered nor heat pasteurized.

How ’bout a taste?

The Boont Amber Ale has a 5.8% ABV and comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

After the pour, this beer appeared a somewhat hazy, very nice amber/copper color with some burnt orange highlights at the very bottom of the glass. An off white, fluffy, billowy head was formed and it looked smooth and creamy with nice size and retention. Some satisfactory lacing was left clinging to the sides of the glass too!!!

The nose smelled very nice. A sweet burst of caramel malt was the first aroma tackled, which was followed by a sugary nuttiness. Hazelnuts and almonds. A dry, leafy, earthy hop aroma filled out the remainder of the fragrance. It was wonderfully balanced and even.

The taste revealed more of the sweet caramel malt. It was not too sweet, but rather just right. The nuttiness was still there to add a touch more complexity and it started to develop and become more plentiful as it warmed. I even got the most remote hint of chocolate malt at the very end. The hops were minimal in the taste I thought, however the caramel and nuttiness were rich enough and copious enough to make up for any loss of bitterness.

The mouthfeel was medium, smooth and somewhat crisp with a decent snap. The mouthfeel was not as dry as some, however it wasn’t watery either. Right down the middle.

This, to me, is a solid and very underrated beer. It’s good, well balanced, straight forward and sturdy. This would be a great brew for a crisp, cool afternoon during the Fall. Actually, it would be good anytime of year. It could either be quaffed quickly or sipped and studied. Very sessionable for me. I like this beer very much. I would, most definitely recommend this. I’m going to pick it up again sometime soon for sure.

If you’ve had it, what did you think of it? Leave a comment if you like. I would be happy to respond.

Thanks, again, for reading and commenting. I’m grateful.

Score: 4.1 out of 5
Grade: A-