Indian Wells Brewing Company's Orange Blossom Amber

This brewery has surprised me quite a bit. I was intrigued by the Anatomy of a Murder-esque label on their Lobotomy Bock, which turned out to be a damn good beer, with an imperceptible 10% ABV. Crazy. Same for the Amnesia IPA, just less alcohol. So it was good to find this one on the shelf, even if the label is kinda lame.

Pours a deep amber with definite orange a hue. Moderate light tan head, but I'm afraid I quick-chilled this one too long so it's more subdued that it would normally be. Great bready malt smell, with a hint of citrus. Not overpowering, like many breweries would try to do (I'm looking at you, Sam Adams), but just right. You know it's not there, but it's an amber first and foremost. Not some syrup-laden goo that has no discernible beer taste.

Well, it's a bit too tangy. Tangy(tm), even. Aftertaste has a solid malt flavor to it, and the hops are indistinct, keeping the bitterness low. Too low for an amber.

I hope it's just that it was too cold. I'll come back to this post when I try one that wasn't cooled off in a rush in the freezer, and I hope the orange taste calms down some.

UPDATE: Well, after a second bottle it's still more Tang-like than I'd like, but it's better than the first one I had. Decent beer, but like most fruit beers it's just too much of a good thing.