Amber, Malty, Medium ABV

International Amber Lager, American Amber Ale, Best Bitter, Strong Bitter, Märzen

Aibita Amber (Intl), Alaskan Amber Ale (American), London Pride (Best Bitter), The Trooper (Strong Bitter), Ayinger Oktoberfest Märzen, Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

Since the appearances of these beers are so similar, I think this is a good one to do for exam purposes. It was much harder than expected, and I wasn’t able to lock these in completely; but here were my takeaways from the session:

• Strong Bitter: lots of hops aroma and bitter on the palate and finish after swallowing and waiting; more bitter than all the others.

• Märzen: I got lots of Cheerio/cereal notes on the nose for the Hacker Pschorr, but after revisiting it I mistook that aroma for diacetyl and got it wrong (chose London Pride). I got it correct after some more tries, but still had some trouble with it and found it more bitter than expected. Ayinger was more distinct in its deeply browned bread aroma/flavor and malt-forward nature. 

• Aibita was more bitter than I expected it to be.