I have the pleasure of reviewing the Outpost Natural Foods‘ Mr. Grain Jeans Organic Amber Ale that was just released late last week at all three Outpost locations in the greater Milwaukee area.
I had a 22 oz bottle that I poured in a Sierra Nevada imperial pint glass. The label showed it was bottled during May Wk3, ’10. This beer is contract-brewed with Lakefront but the recipe comes from Outpost themselves.
Appearance - This beer looks fantastic right away. A tall pour releases three fingers of dense and well-retained off-white, bone-colored head that has a tiny hue of orange in it. Superb lace coats the glass above the cloudy golden orange beer.
Smell – Predominantly malty, Mr. Grain Jeans is all over the place. Anything specific about the malts is hard to pin down but I get notes of light toasted amber and caramel sweetness with just a pinch of a Pils malt aroma to it. A tiny but of the wheat and rye come through in a soft scent and unique spice respectively. Hops are there and add to the nose but not in any sort of outpouring way. Light citrusy and floral notes balance it out well but the aroma is malt-heavy.
Taste - Mr. Grain Jeans, do to all it’s ingredients, is pretty elusive. It also took me by surprise. The flavor differs from the aroma nicely. Amber and pale malts have this grainy taste with a light rye kick on the finish. Again, it’s a malt-heavy beer but not thick at all. The hops play a nice role of adding a slight kiss of floral citrus to the mix. Very nice tasting
Mouthfeel - I really like the mouthfeel when compaired to the whole beer. It’s medium-light bodied with a smooth entrance that rides nicely through to a lightly but well-balanced carbonation addition and a soft, dry finish.
Drinkability - Outpost comes through with a well-blended organic amber ale that combines a good nose and tasty flavor with a smooth mouthfeel for a very nice drinking beer. This lighter amber should be a good step outside the box to a world of better beer for the “light” beer drinkers while it’ll certainly become a welcomed pint for the seasoned craft beer lover.
It’s a good beer I’d reccomend to anyone. You can pick up a bottle at any of the three Outpost Locations now!
-Andy
