National Canned Craft Beer Day

For those of you that didn't know, today is/was National Canned Craft Beer Day!  Back in 2002 Oscar Blues became the first CRAFT brewer to can its beer and you can now find many breweries with a canned selection, and some being can-exclusive.  So not only is it the 10th anniversary of craft beer being available in cans, but on this day in 1935.. 77 years ago, beer in general was first canned!  Now, sadly, for 67 of these years, it was mainly shitty..  but let's celebrate the easy transportation that canning provides and the happiness that is craft beer being accessible this way now!

I celebrated with a Baxter Brewing Company - Amber Road.  Party because they're another all-can brewery, but mainly because I've been sick, I had a 6er in my fridge and didn't need to leave to get some good cans!  (Oh, and a sick can-glass too, huh!)  Needless to say, it was not a last resort pick at all...  at 5.5% ABV and 35 IBUs this is a far hoppier beer than most ambers.  In fact, back when I did my first homebrew, it was an amber, but ended up with the hoppiness of a Harpoon IPA.  I thought I fudged it somewhere.. in actuality, almost a year later, this beer hits the market with an almost identical taste!  Guess I didn't do too shabby, eh?!     A nice coppery-brown pour, fairly heady with a strong nose.  Definite caramel malts with some nice nutty and toasty notes.  A surprising piney hop presence here as well.  A crisp beer, more of the nice nutty and caramel malts with some rich earthy/oaky notes.  Some lighter floral/grassy hops on the finish with some orange peel thrown in for good measure.    Changes my opinion on ambers!