8-Track Amber Ale - Real Ale Review
Nostalgia is one helluva drug. There’s nothing like dusting off an old album to give it another spin or flipping through old baseball cards to get excited about that gem we hid away. Not many feelings compare, and they are hard to come by.
When we’re looking for a bit of nostalgia in the Brew household, we grab a six-pack of the beers that take us back. For some it’s the hoppy West Coast IPA. For others, the clean lager. But very few beers compare to one of the foundations of craft brewing: the amber ale.
We like ours malty, rich, and with a high enough ABV to take away the pain of the world and get us back into that nostalgic bean bag chair. Real Ale feels the same way. Their amber ale comes in at a perfect 6.5% ABV and 30 IBUs, and the bottle says exactly what we’re hoping for, ‘Malt-forward.’
And with a name like 8-Track it’s poised to take us back, but let’s sip in the present and see how far it transports us.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Wonderful amber color topped with a beige head that maintains quite well. Real Ale is known for tampering very little with their beers and this amber has that unfiltered look.
On the Nose--A lot of malt depth on the nose, with a lot of comforting toffee and the right amount of classic, almost noble, floral hops. Certainly malt forward though, which is what we love in an amber.
On the Palate--Just like the aroma, it has a fantastic malt depth that culminates in a sweet toffee, possibly from an Abbey or deep Crystal malt. The hoppiness is light, but with enough strength to tone down the toffee flavor just enough to keep the beer from being oversweet. It’s malt-forward, as advertised, and finishes with only a touch of that maltiness lingering, and it has a medium body, which is the perfect vehicle for a killer amber ale.
Food Pairings: If it’s greasy or served in your favorite pub, go for an amber ale. The sweetness will cut through that cheesy pizza and the clean finish will leave the palate ready for more.
Final Thoughts:
Amber ales are the often overlooked beer in the craft brew industry. The IPA gets the props for starting it all, but the amber ale was the style that converted a lot of devout malty lager drinkers over to the side of craft beer, and it’s been the thing that has kept them coming back for decades. There’s a reason so many original craft brewers offer an amber ale—because it’s the bee’s knees.
This amber ale is no different. Real Ale wanted to offer a nostalgia kicker-upper with a name like 8-track, and they did it. This beer tastes like something that was there at the conception of craft brewing. To say it’s simple is a bit condescending, but it has great malt depth and just the right amount of hoppiness to keep it from being cloying. It tastes like a lighter version of a heavy scotch ale, of which Real Ale makes a fantastic one. It’s the exact thing we’re looking for in an amber ale. The color is right, the aroma is enticing, and the flavor is malty with a clean finish. Honestly, if a Texas neighbor was looking to get into amber ales, this is where I would guide them first. Get on it … but only in Texas.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew