River Horse Special Ale
A variety of specialty malts are the backbone of this American Amber Ale; a perfect session beer.
2.9
300 reviews
Ewing, United States
Community reviews
Bottle from Half Time Beverage, New York. Pours a bright red amber colour with a light tan colour, very foamy, long lasting head. Aroma of caramel, malt, and mild spice. Light sweetness and bitterness. Body is medium, texture a little thin but ok. This is a decent amber ale.
This is what an amber should have. A little extra spice and malt. Slight bitter, But warming and smooth. Great color. Had on tap.
Dark amber body with thin creamy tan head. Mildly malty nose with hints of sweetness. Bold toffee and caramel flavors co-mingled with roasted malts. Hop flavor comes out to take the edge off of the heavy sweetness. A little dense, but decent selection for the colder months.
From tap. Pours hazy dark amber with a small tan head. Aroma is toasted malty. Sweet and caramelish. Slight caramelish. Bitter and toasted malty. Toasted and bitter dry malty finish.
Transfer from BA review on 6-3-13-
Poured from bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a hazy copper/mahogany color with a two finger cream colored head. The head has a great level of retention, holding on for quite some time, fading slowly to leave a good level of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell- The aroma is mainly of a lightly roasted malt smell mixed with a decent showing of caramel and some toffee. Along with these aromas so too comes a tiny bit of dark fruit, which overall creates a rather sweet aroma.
Taste – The taste begins with a lightly roasted malt flavor and some fruit flavors of apple. A caramel sweetness is present upfront as well, with it slowly fading throughout most of the taste. More toward the middle, with the caramel fading some, come some flavor of a more bitter hop nature. They are mainly of an earthy and herbal flavor and remain relatively light till the end. While the caramel faded steadily from the beginning it picks up again at the end, and when mixed with the rest of the flavors, it leaves a nice easy going taste of a bready caramel and light hop to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is average in terms of its creaminess and thickness with a carbonation level that is average as well.
Overall – A nice drinking brew, but overall nothing extraordinary.
Not bad, actually--the caramel hops do provide a softer, sweetened finish compared to the sandpaper experience of most microbrews. Worth trying even for the IBU-averse like myself
Had this one on draft at the brewery. This is another good beverage by River Horse. A Nice dark, malty beer.
Draft. Nut brown. Caramel, toasted bready malts, toffee. Smooth light carb, medium feel overall. Not bad, not great but, a nice full bodied session brew with a turkey club for lunch. Hit the spot. Good stuff.
From tap at the Lufthansa lounge, Newark Liberty airport. Smell of candy, malts. Copper colour, beige head. Aroma of sugar, malt. Sweet with a faintly bitter finish. Soft and lively carbon.
Bottle on 04/18/2011. Hazy orange amber body with a large frothy off-white head and some chunky bits. Sweet fruit, caramel, and light floral hops. Sweet caramel flavor, some cheerios and fruit with a yeasty background and some floral hops. Medium body with moderate carbonation.
From notes: Poured hazy nut-brown with a 2-finger off-white head. Aroma of roasty and nutty malt. Medium body, a touch watery, with a brief, lightly dry finish. Nutty malt flavor with a roasty note and a light note of citrus underneath.
Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass.
Appearance: It has an orange amber colored body with lots of yeast fine sediment floating around inside. This is cap off by a tall, light and foamy head. It is light tan in color and slowly fades to thin filmy covering which leaves behind a little slick lacing on the glass.
Smell: I get some really nice sweet bready and doughy maltiness with a faint hint of English hops.
Taste/Palate: There is a nice base of bready maltiness and yeast with pleasant sweetness. I get some mellow notes of honey like sweetness, sugar cookies and even a touch of light caramel and vanilla. The hops come in at the finish and offer some pleasant herbal character and light bitterness for balance. The mouth feel has a firm medium feel with soft carbonation.
Notes: My overall thought is that it may not be the prettiest beer but it has some good flavor notes and nice balance. Also I could see myself drinking more then a few of these at 4.5% abv.
12 oz. bottle from a trade with a friend on Utappd. Very deep red color, nearly brown with nice lasting head. The nose indicates heavy caramel malts. The flavor reflects that with toffee hints, caramel and a fruity and Earthy hop in the finish. Texture is lightly syrupy with a sticky texture. For the style I got to say this is under rated. Very sessionable and really decent. Glass emptied fast and I wanted another.
Bottle. Deep amber with a 1 finger white head. Aroma is nutty and vaguely fruity. Taste has a hint of fruitiness followed by coffee, finishing with a wheaty malt finish. Medium mouthfeel with sufficient carb. Not bad but slightly confusing.
Lightly sweet, caramel malty flavor. Reddish amber hue with nice lacing left on glass. Easy and smooth to drink. Aroma is malty caramel as well.
Bottle - could not pour out of bottle to see, malty aroma and flavor, notes of nuttiness, not sweet like many amber ales so it was pretty different in a good way
Bottle. Pours clear deep reddish amber with a medium creamy tan head that laces well. Aroma is malty - caramel, toffee, grass. Flavor is the same, interesting actually. Must be using English hops. Medium sweet, some honey notes, light grassy bitterness. Medium body, creamy mouthfeel. Better than its rating for sure.
12oz bottle. Pours a hazy dark amber color with one finger of creamy off white head. Aroma of roasted malt and earthy hops. Taste is light in sweetness and bitterness. Roasted malts with a some of hops.
Pours a heavy amber with light brown head. Caramel and malty aroma. Has a malty taste with a strong body. Slight bitter aftertaste that’s dry.
12 ounce bottle. Pours a hazy amber with a decent biege head. Aroma of malt, caramel, and florals. Taste is roasted malt, caramel, florals, and some fruit. Decent.
Opaque dark brown. Nice hoppy smell and taste. Caramel and candy bar tasting. In my opinion this is a good winter ale. First beer from this brewery, and not a bad start at all.
This american amber won’t excite hop-heads, but I find the malty sweetness to be delicious. It’s a medium gold color with a modest head of foam. The nose doesn’t have much complexity and the taste is rather straight forward (with the malts shining). Great session beer.
Dark amber, malt aroma with some fruits. Bland but ok. Grew on me as I drank it. Sweetness was nice but body was a listless. Like the profile and the malt backbone.
Hazy amber orange color topped by a large creamy beige head. Toasted malt aroma, hints of caramel and yeast. Tangy bittersweet malt upfront. Nice peppery hops come after initial palate. Notes of brown sugar and vanilla. Finish is dry and bitter.
Pours a cloudy brownish amber with a medium beige lasting head, some light lacing. Aroma of toasted caramel malt, barley, light fruity notes. Taste of toasted caramel malt, yeast, light fruity with some mild earthy hops. Palate isa medium body, slightly sticky mouth feel, mild carbonation. Finish is sweet toasted caramel malt, yeast with some mild earthy hops bitterness for balance with a bit of caramel nutty aftertaste. Overall a good enjoyable brew.
Poured from a 12 ounce bottle thanks to RamyG4. Pours a dark, somewhat hazy amber color with a biege head of foam that starts at about one finger width, and dissipates down to just a thin layer. The aroma is malt forward with some woody, slightly nutty aromas wafting from the glass. The taste has some mild bitterness, a dull sweetness on the backend, and a woody taste sticks to the lips. Very light on the palate. Decent mouthfeel.
12 oz recd in trade to bottle. I like this brew!! Malt candied fruit and caramel in aroma. Hazy dark fugly brown pour. Taste is similar to aroma. Well balanced. I want more. Nice palate
Bottle in Bucks County, PA. Amber body with big head. Nose is caramel and toffee but also hoppy. Taste is also malty, and sweet, and caramel but hops well represented too. Nice balance in there. Plenty good.
Pours a cloudy brown caramel color. Aroma of dark grain and malt. Taste is chocolate in the beginning followed by a soft sweetness surrounded by a slightly sour bitterness of the hops. The finish is clean and dry.
Very boring amber ale, clearish amber pour, medium off white head. Light in flavors and aroma. Just some minor notes of caramel, bread, and grass. Not a great amber ale.