Dear eight pound, six ounce newborn baby jesus do I love spring. I love everything about it: The sunshine, the warmth, the promise of a summer, fresh cut grass, driving across the state-line to go to the drive-in, thoughts of going swimming, road trips with the windows down, longer days, warmer nights. I enjoy the other four seasons as much as Northwest Georgia can provide four seasons, I mean we just didn’t have a winter this year, what the hell is up with that? But there is something great about the promise of spring. And with spring comes one of my favorite adult pastimes-- sitting outside in the sun and drinking beer.
Now a good beer is a good beer and anytime is a good time to drink good beer, but when it comes to enjoying all that spring has to offer, there is one beer that towers over others and that is the Amber ale. Amber ales are as at home on a baseball bleacher as they are sitting on a blanket at a music festival. They’re great with hot wings on a patio or sitting at a crowded bar surrounded by friends. Amber ale’s are the golden retrievers of beer, always eager to please whenever possible. Simple put, amber ales are to spring what IPA’s are to summer.
Amber Ale is a bit of a catchall term for any beer lighter then a Dark Ale. While still a malty affair, Ambers excel in the warming days of spring because they balance the biscuity-coffee goodness of Malt with some lovely fruit and spice flavors. It’s a style that doesn’t feel the need to overwhelm you with a palate punch of hops, but lets the smoothness. It’s a great transition from a darker beer like a porter or a stout to a lighter more summery affair like an Session IPA.
Amber Ale is a bit of a catchall term for any beer lighter then a Dark Ale. While still a malty affair, Ambers excel in the warming days of spring because they balance the biscuity-coffee goodness of Malt with some lovely fruit and spice flavors. It’s a style that doesn’t feel the need to overwhelm you with a palate punch of hops, but lets the smoothness. It’s a great transition from a darker beer like a porter or a stout to a lighter more summery affair like an Session IPA.
The all-time heavyweight champion of ambers in my eyes will always be Fat Tire. It’s crisp, refreshing, has a subtle hint of tart apple with a subtle fizzy effervescent with just a touch of coffee that really balances it out. You can also get fat tire almost anywhere these days, which earns a fair amount of points when you don’t have to struggle to find it when sitting down at a dinner (I’m looking at you, cigar city)..
All great beer should be enjoyed in a glass, this is undisputable fact. There’s some back and forth on whether certain beers are better in certain glasses, but the fact that it opens it up and lets you actually smell the beer while you drink it makes a huge impact. And boy howdy does Fat tire look beautiful in a glass. Its light gold, with a hint of tan is so alluring. I love the way it hangs on the side of glass. You drink something with your eyes before your mouth, right? Anyways, I digress. It’s a spring day and the bees are buzzing around me and it’s all a work of art.
Beer snobs of all shapes may turn their noses up at the lovable little slugger of Fat Tire, and you too may find yourself rolling your eyes at my enthusiasm for it. It’s so plebian, just a step above Bud Light or a PBR. What does it say about me as a person if I drink the craft beer equivalent of Wilco? But i urge you, give Fat Tire another look with a fresh pair of eyes. It may surprise you with it’s earest ways. It may not be the best amber out there, but it has so much to offer. Fat Tire has so much love to give, it only needs you to open the twist top to your heart and pour 12 ounces of pure Craft love inside.
