Best Features: great with food, great price for a true craft beer!

Cannery Brewing Company in Penticton, B.C. has several unique craft beers that they offer through the liquor store. Anarchist Amber Ale is a great name and a great beer. This beer is offered in both the standard 355 ml can and the 650 ml craft size bottle. At $10.57 for a 6 pack, this beer is aggressively priced to move and well worth the money.

I definitely have a personal bias towards amber ales (and Cannery Brewing Company). I have toured the brewery a couple of times and always seek out their beer at festivals and events. Anarchist Amber Ale is great example of a medium strength amber ale (or red beer) that has the perfect balance of hops and roasted malts. The pour creates a very nice auburn colour in the glass with a thick luxurious head, typical of amber ale. The aroma is a nice blend of roasted malts, bitter sweet chocolate, molasses and hints of citrus from the blend of hops. In the glass the beer has definite sense of belonging. The picture perfect pour allows a person a lengthy period to admire the beer as the head slowly subsides. On the tongue the short sweet beginning blends nicely with the bitter roasted flavour. The beer wraps your tongue softly but then releases itself in a sweet and roasted harmony. The citrus notes from the hops also provide a hint of hops. This beer is well balanced and very easy to drink. I have tried this beer at several different temperatures and find that the citrus and sweet flavours are more apparent when the beer is around cellar temperature (8-12 degrees Celsius) but the roasted bitterness is more apparent when the beer is served cold. The finish is dry and smooth. It is great that a beer like this can taste different within a glass while you slowly sip and enjoy it. I often drink this beer straight from my dry storage in my garage - no ice and cooler necessary!

Anarchist Amber Ale works with a range of foods; milk chocolate, red pasta sauce, meaty pizza and Gouda are always favourite pairings with amber ales. In addition, try Anarchist Amber Ale with hot sausage, sheppard's pie or Thai chili sauce. Plum sauce will bring out the roasted flavours in the beer and salty foods will bring the sweetness to the foreground.

Beer Fact: Anarchist Amber Ale is the flagship beer of Cannery Brewing Company. Make sure to check out their Maple Stout and Blackberry Porter for a twist on traditional styles of ales.