Friday Beer Review - MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale

Brewery Name and Location: MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company - Portland, OR
Name of Brew: MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale
Style of Brew: Amber Ale
ABV: 5.0%

MacTarnahan’s thinks very highly of their signature Amber Ale, just check out the description on their web site:

Distinct, Well-hopped, Perfectly Balanced. We’re talking, of course, about MacTarnahan’s, “Portland’s Original Amber”. From here, brewed here, it’s the one beer we all agree on. Bold. Original. Distinctly flavored. Perfectly balanced with fresh, local Cascade hops. Go ahead. Ask a true Portlander where his heart lies. Honest as can be, just like the beer he loves to drink, he’ll say “MacTarnahan’s” every time. For in this city where craft beers are king, MacTarnahan’s rules.

I know a number of Portland-ers and this definitely isn’t the case. Although the beer is good, it’s tough to claim this level of name recognition from a city that has so many good and unique beers. Portland is afterall, the city in the United States with the most breweries per capita (I’m pretty sure this is true and too lazy to actually cite a source).

MacTarnahan’s Amber Ale is a good beer though, it definitely boasts a heavy malt flavor along with the crispness of dry-hops to give it a smooth and clean after-taste. I’ve definitely enjoyed better amber ales in the past, nothing against MacTarnahan’s. If you’re looking to try something new, MacTarnahan’s is worth picking up, especially if you’re a amber ale connoisseur as I am.