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December 26, 2012

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Westbrook Single Hop: Citra

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Westbrook Brewing Co.

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Single Hop: Citra Rye Pale Ale

5.5% ABV

One of Westbrook‘s earlier and more popular beers was the Citra Rye Pale Ale, which gives away everything about it in its name. First brewed in May 2011 and draft only, it’s returned as part of the brewery’s Single Hop series, following Pacific Jade, Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin.

I’ve had Citra Rye on draft a few times before and it’s just as great out of the bottle as it is from a tap. Popping the cap releases a burst of citrus and tropical fruit flavors which are tenfold on the nose. The Citra aroma is gigantic with mango, pineapple, peach and papaya absolutely dominating the senses. As with the other Single Hop beers, there is certainly just a touch of rye spiciness and malty sweetness, but the beer is designed to showcase the hop and it does that perfectly. It just smells so. Damn. Good.

And the taste doesn’t disappoint either. On the front of the tongue is a spicy bite which, to me, was a mix of the rye, the carbonation and the tartness from the Citra. It’s a big sour pinch, but it vanishes almost instantly as the taste continues across the palate. The middle of the mouth is very malt with a big biscuity and bready quality. There’s also a good bit of that tartness again, but the malts take the forefront in the middle.

The rye is also prevalent throughout the taste, more so than I remember with the previous Single Hop beers. The more you drink, the more you can taste the spice in the middle of the tongue and on the back of the throat. The tropical fruit flavors are strong as well, with peach and papaya taking the lead midway through and that lingering tangy grapefruit flavor sticking to the back of your throat. It is a Citra bomb, for sure, and a damn good one at that.

Everything about this beer screams bright and fresh. From the yellow label to the fluffy, foamy head to the aromas and taste, Citra Rye is such a lively beer and another excellent entry in the series.

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December 17, 2012

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Coast Rye Knot Brown

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Coast Brewing Co.

Charleston, SC

Rye Knot Brown Ale

6.2% ABV

A quick glance through my archives will tell you my eh/meh relationship with brown ales. Some really do stand out, but more often than not, the style just falls flat for me. I’ve got nothing against it. It just doesn’t do it for me.

And then I have Coast‘s Rye Knot Brown Ale and realize everything else pales in comparison.

Rye Knot was the first seasonal Coast ever put out and has since become their fall seasonal. Along with the usual chocolate malts, rye is also used, giving it a great spicy character you don’t get in most brown ales. I love rye, and this it definitely works in this beer. I’ve had it a few times before but never really had the chance to sit down and appreciate it, so here we go.

The appearance is pretty surprising for a brown ale. There were two to three fingers of a really fluffy head that left behind some really strong lacing, and a nice foamy film lingered over the top of the the beer. It’s not the thin, weak head I’ve encountered in a lot of brown ales.

The nose gives off those classic brown ale notes, with a toasted nuttiness and a bit of caramel. And on the back is a really nice spiciness from the rye. There’s just a hint of a chocolate note and a little bit of roasted coffee, but overall it that classic brown ale with a slight twist.

There’s a mix of spice and carbonation that really bites on the front of the tongue. The carbonation continues throughout the mouth, scrubbing the palate. The sweeter notes are stronger toward the front of the taste, with caramel and chocolate taking the lead. That develops into a rich nuttiness as it moves further to the back. And then on the finish, there’s a big mix of the spice from the rye and roasted coffee.

Even with all the carbonation, the beer is incredibly creamy. The mouthfeel is silk, a nice contrast to the biting flavors toward the finish. I’ve had Rye Knot a few  times in the past but I don’t remember it being this good. It’s an example of contrasts that work in perfect harmony. The sweetness of the chocolate malts and  caramel flavors compared with the spices from the rye and crispness of the carbonation. It’s easily a great twist on the style that makes it one of the best browns I’ve had.

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November 27, 2012

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Westbrook Bearded Farmer: Hughey

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Westbrook Brewing Co.

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Bearded Farmer: Hughey Saison

6.7% ABV

As they approach their second birthday, Westbrook has seemingly perfected their three-pronged approach to their products. For starter’s, there are their great year-round beers – White Thai and their IPA – to keep folks happy every day. Secondly, there are their excellent seasonal beers – currently Dark Helmet and Vanilla Tree Dubbel (reviews forthcoming) – to throw something new into the mix.

And thirdly, there are the new, innovative and increasingly experimental – and excellent – beers they pump out on the regular. That started this year with their Single Hop series, which in 2012 has focused on Pacific Jade, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin and Citra. And recently, a new series was given life: the Bearded Farmer series of saisons.

Much like the Single Hop series, which take a rye pale ale and accentuates it with a certain hop, the Bearded Farmer series will take the saison style and tweak it. Hughey, the first entry – named for one of the farmers who picks up the brewery’s spent grain – is “brewed with a blend of rustic grains including oats, rye and spelt, the fermented with a combination of Belgian and French yeast strains, including three types of Brettanomyces,” according to the label.

Damn. Just … damn. Let’s get to it.

Hughey is an absolutely gorgeous beer. It pours a crystal clear deep orange color. There’s a massive four fingers of a pillowy cloud-like head with tons of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. The lacing will not let go of the sides of the glass, but there aren’t really any alcohol legs.

The nose is a great mix of light funkiness and estery sweetness. I expected it to be a Brett bomb from the different strains they put in it, but you get just a slight hint of that barnyard/horse blanket funk. The other yeast strains do an incredible job of keeping everything balanced. There’s a great white wine note, some bananas and cloves, maybe a slight bubble gum note and a sort of cinnamon roll sweetness. Not a lot of hoppiness to it, though. Very yeasty, but very good.

There’s a lot going on as far as the taste goes. At first you’re hit with this big pop of carbonation that sizzles across the palate. Middle of the mouth, there’s a lot of pear flavor, a bit of banana and spice and some graininess. On the back, the first big burst of flavor comes from the Brett, with that barnyard funk. But as it settles, it leave behind this dry white wine flavor with a touch of oak to it from the French yeast. There’s a good bite from the rye as well. It’s got a surprisingly dry finish, but a really unique one.

Hughey gives a lot of promise to the Bearded Farmer series. By no means is it a classic saison, but with Westbrook, nothing’s standard. Everything is unique and individualized. What’s really surprising is that with everything that goes into this beer – the grains, the yeast, the hops – you can pick out traces of everything, and everything adds a little something special.

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October 22, 2012

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SweetWater LowRYEder and Danktoberfest

The folks at SweetWater have been a little quiet most of this year since their 15th anniversary blowout earlier this year. Growing pains have thrown their new release calendar off a bit, but they’ve recently come back with a couple new brews that have recently hit shelves.

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Up first is LowRYEder, their new year-round 6.2% ABV rye IPA that replaced their Sch’Wheat wheat ale. LowRYEder was formerly a limited-release beer released under the Crank Tank label. That beer supports Camp Twin Lakes and will be re-brewed sometime soon with a different beer going into the bottle. But the SW folks decided to give the rye IPA a promotion and bump it up into regular rotation.

LowRYEder pours a beautiful crystal clear copper orange color. There’s about half a finger of a really filmy head that dissipates really quickly. Not much lacing to it but some pretty good-looking alcohol legs.

On the nose is a big floral punch of tropical fruits. There are bits of melon, orange, papaya and grapefruit that are all really thick and juicy. It’s got a bit of a piney hop note and a good bite from the rye as well.

There’s a strong hop bitterness on the front of the tongue which continues across the palate and is pretty strong on the end along with the bite from the rye. The mouthfeel is almost syrupy and very smooth. There’s a big biscuit malt flavor in the middle of the palate and the citrus fruit flavors really pop on the back. The grapefruit compliments the rye nicely. The tartness and rye bite linger on the back, but those juicy orange and melon flavors are the first to show up.

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The other new offering making the rounds is Danktoberfest, the newest entry into their one-off Dank Tank series. The 8.5% ABV imperial Oktoberfest is the first true lager the brewery’s made, and it’s a big one at that, especially for an Oktoberfest.

The pour is a very clear copper brown color. There’s a good finger’s worth of a bubbly head although it dissipates fast. There’s some really nice, strong lacing and alcohol legs as well.

SweetWater likes to twist their styles a bit, but Danktoberfest has a  surprisingly classic Oktoberfest nose. You get those big sweet bready malts, lots of nuts, caramel and toffee. There is a slight hoppiness to it – it wouldn’t be a SweetWater beer without it – but the malt is what’s the most prevalent.

There’s a slight hop bite and a lot of malt flavor on the front of the tongue. That’s followed up with a slight carbonation across the mouth, but a good, smooth mouthfeel. The end is really nice: Sweeter malt notes start off the finish but a surprisingly bitter hoppiness lingers on the finish. There’s a lot of pine to the hops. Overall, the flavor is dominated by those nutty, bready flavors that you’d expect in a Oktoberfest.

It’s been a hot minute since my guys in Atlanta have cranked out anything new, but these two show they’re still going strong as year 16 approaches.

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October 18, 2012

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Westbrook Single Hop: Nelson Sauvin

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Westbrook Brewing Co.

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Single Hop: Nelson Sauvin Rye Pale Ale

5.5% ABV

Westbrook‘s Single Hop series – wherein they use a rye pale ale base to showcase a different hop – continues to roll on. So far, Pacific Jade and Amarillo have done their job in showcasing what their respective hops do to a beer’s flavor.

The third entry in the series is Nelson Sauvin, one of the newer and highly touted hops from New Zealand. Named as a not to the Sauvignon Blanc grape, the hop imparts a juicy fruit flavor and aroma.

As with the others in the series, the pour is a golden hazy orange. There’s a bit of a brownish orange toward the center. A finger of head tops it off, but it dissipates surprisingly quickly. There’s some pretty weak lacing but some nice alcohol legs.

There’s a massive sweet grape on the nose as well as a slight orange, pineapple, star fruit and passionfruit. There’s a kind of muscadine thing going on, too. There’s just a very mild hoppiness and very slight rye note underneath it all, but the juicy fruit flavors are dominant.

On the front of the tongue is a mild bitterness and there’s good carbonation across the palate. The bit from the rye is very strong in the middle of the mouth. But on the back, the fruit flavors really shine. That sour grape pops up again and fades into this nice lingering rye flavor. Mixed in are those juicy passionfruit flavors. The rye is a good way to counteract the sweetness.

I continue to be impressed with this series, and while Nelson Sauvin was probably my least favorite of the series, that’s by no means a way of saying it’s bad. It does what it’s supposed to: Showcases the finer qualities of what the specific hop has to offer.

What I’m really excited about is the fourth entry in the series. Here’s a (not so subtle) hint:

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September 11, 2012

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Ommegang Scythe & Sickle

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Brewery Ommegang

Cooperstown, NY

Scythe & Sickle Harvest Ale

5.8% ABV

Fall is easily my favorite time of the year. The weather and scenery in the South are (generally) fantastic, the god-forsaken humidity finally breaks and I get to celebrate another birthday. Fall also means the re-emergence of pumpkin, my favorite flavor, and fall seasonal beers.

When it gets cooler, I’m much more inclined to enjoy heavier and richer beers, so seasonals and pumpkin beers hit the spot. One of the newer fall beers is Scythe & Sickle from Ommegang. “Harvest ale” is a fitting name for the beer as it blends wheat, oats, rye and barley, which is supposed to give it a rich and smooth yet biting taste.

The beer is a brilliantly crystal clear pumpkin orange. There’s about finger of a really fluffy, bubbly head that sticks around. There’s some strong lacing and just some slight alcohol legs

On the nose is a really great sweet bready note. The barley and wheat are certainly noticeable and there’s just a very slight hint of pumpkin and spice, possibly from the rye. I got only a slight hop note as well. But the biggest, most noticeable character comes from the wheat. It’s a really rich and delicious-smelling beer.

There’s a good bit of carbonation on the front of the tongue which gives way to a very smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The sweetness of the wheat pops on the back, and again there’s a slight pumpkin and spice note. The hops are very mild, which is good, since nothing overpowers the slew of grains that go into making it. There’s a big bready yeast note (certainly from the Ommegang yeast), a hint of sweet caramel and just a bit of graininess.

I was really impressed with Scythe & Sickle, as I am with most Ommegang beers. It’s sweet, but not cloyingly so. Bready, not just a touch yeasty. And spicy, but in a sweeter, more mellow fashion. I held off on fall beers until September hit, but after trying this one, I’m glad they’re back.

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July 16, 2012

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Westbrook Single Hop: Amarillo

Westbrook Brewing Co.

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Single Hop: Amarillo Rye Pale Ale

5.5% ABV

When I reviewed the Single Hop: Pacific Jade – the first entry in Westbrook’s single hopped rye pale ale series – I commented that I hoped the brewery would continue to crank out more and more variations of the style, similar to what Mikkeller did with their (his?) single hop series.

I didn’t have to wait for long for the next entry, as Westbrook recently released a Amarillo version of the beer. Amarillo imparts a more citrus flavor as opposed to the spice and tropical fruits of Pacific Jade. And as with the first entry, it’s sessionable and very easy drinking.

The beer pours a cloudy orange with more of a brown toward the center and yellow around the edge. There’s a finger of head that dissipates pretty quickly, along with some fairly strong alcohol legs, but not much lacing.

The citrus hits first with big orange juice notes on the nose. There’s a little bit of mango and papaya and a slight bite of rye and a yeasty sweetness, but overall it blushes with extremely juicy fruit.

On the front of the tongue is that distinctive rye bite followed by a very smooth mouthfeel. The big sweet citrus fruits on the back. In the middle of the mouth, the thing pops with huge mango, papaya, a bit of pineapple and, of course, orange. It’s very right and juicy, like biting into a piece of fruit. The strong carbonation does a good job of cleansing your palate and getting ready for the next sip.

Westbrook’s certainly been one a roll lately, not only with this series, but also in general. I appreciate that Ed’s picking hops that I don’t usually list as my favorites. It gives me a new appreciation for the characteristics and traits that each hop brings to a beer. Keep ‘em coming.