Wow! If you ever replicate your amber ale recipe, please share it here. I'm sure that more people than me would like to try it. It sounds great.
I'm a relatively new brewer, I only have 11 batches under my belt, but I understand that the quality of ingredients has improved over the years, especially yeast and hops (this comes from talking to fellow brewers that have been at it since the 80s).
After you've been brewing a while again, I'd love to hear from your perspective how things have changed.