Schell's One Five Five Review

Name: Schell's One Five Five
Style: Amber Ale
ABV: 5%
IBUs: 35

This year is the 155th year that August Schell Brewing Company has been open. So to commemorate this landmark, they've released a new year-round offering called One Five Five, an amber ale whose name reflects the age of the brewery. Of course that isn't to say they haven't been doing anything new as of late but it's a nice gesture.

It's been awhile since I've reviewed an amber ale. In fact, I don't think I've looked at any ambers for the better part of 2015. Not intentional on my part but I need to start branching out more. Maybe today is that day.......maybe......

Appearance - Hazy dark orange color with a light reddish hue and a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is about a finger in width with some decent retention and takes on a light khaki-tan color. As for the lacing, it's not overly abundant but more along the lines of here and there.

Aroma - Strong toffee & Munich malts permeate the nose upfront with some mild chocolate roastiness. I'm also getting some floral & mild bitter hoppiness but it isn't immediately apparent due to the malt forwardness of this beer.

Taste - Munich and toffee malts dominate the front of the palate and linger throughout the palate but the floral and bitter hoppiness starts showing up on the back end of the palate and make up the bulk of the aftertaste. It's almost if the beer transitions from being malty at first to taking on some increasingly strong hop character.

One Five Five is, upon first look, fairly unremarkable but the way it gradually shifts its flavor profile as you drink it is actually pretty cool. It's a worthy addition to their year-round lineup and it's one of the better amber ales I've had in a long while.

Schell's One Five Five - 8.5/10