Review of Upland Amber Ale
Posted By Ken Friday, 01 May 2009 20:39
This one was picked up on lunch break today by a co-worker to drink at work. Yes, I do have a job that let's us drink beer on Fridays at work, which is sweet. We discussed this one prior to him going to pick it up, as I had tried only the wheat from Upland, which I thought was good so I wanted to see what else this brewer had in store. Being a fan of amber beers as well, I figured this wouldn't be a bad choice. Read on to see if I was right or not.
Ken's Review
Taste: B+ Upland Amber Ale is pretty well bodied, but not an overpowering amber. The taste is one that comes on just right, not too strong, and leaves an aftertaste for only a short time. There are some hints of chocolate to this one, which helps finish it nicely. The smoothness of this falls, in my opinion, somewhere in between Killian's (high end) and Michelob Ultra Amber. If you want a little more amber taste to your beer but not a lot, this is a good middle-of-the-road choice.
Packaging: B Upland doesn't get really fancy with packaging, and the Amber Ale is no exception. The highlights of this one are the Upland logo in the top center of the main label, and "amber ale" underneath with a background that I'm not entirely sure what it represents. Overall I can't complain too much about it, because it doesn't really give off any impressions it is not.
Value: ?? Honestly, I'm not sure what this stuff runs, as I didn't buy it and I never really paid a lot of attention when I saw it in stores. If I remember right, it rings in at about $9 a sixer, which isn't terrible, but a little pricey for a beer that is made about 30 miles from where I live.
Drunkeness: A- This amber falls in at 5.7% alcohol content, which is pretty nice if you like ambers and want to get the buzz going pretty quickly. With this content a sixer would get you to a point of making some poor decisions, or just have a really good time, with little effort.
Overall: A- I was pretty impressed with this selection from Upland. I will definitely go back to this one for nights I'm in the mood for a good amber beer. I don't know that I would make this an all-night party choice, given potential reprecussions, but for a social scenario or just to relax with, this is an excellent choice.