Rye The Funk Not?
Iron Springs Pub & Brewery

This ultra-limited release by my favorite Marin County brewery has been available strictly as an in-house 750ml bottle until recently, but it's really worth the effort to get off the 101 and wind your way west to Iron Springs in beautiful downtown Fairfax.

The brewers start with their subtly spicy Chazz Cat Rye and inoculate it with the wild brettanomyces yeast. If that wasn't funky enough, they age it in an oak Zinfandel barrel and add 30 lbs of Fuyu persimmons. Why? That's right, Rye the Funk Not.

This creation pours almost like a sparkling wine with a sizzling mouthfeel that says, "There's a party in my mouth and everyone's invited!" I noticed almost a nice blended whiskey note and warm alcohol burn holding down the bottom end, with the bretts, rye, and fruit all dancing above.

This beer is quite unlike anything I've encountered before and really shows off what Iron Springs is capable of producing, even if they'd rather keep it all for themselves.

A- Pours with good retention on a small head. Rye brings some proteins that weren't converted, so it comes out a hazy dark orange color.

S- The addition of persimmon brings a floral bouquet up front, and there's some lemon sour-ness attendant as well. The dryness from the barrel aging process is evident, in the form of a sort of musky tinge.

T- The rye beer style brings a subtle bitterness to the palate, and the Zinfandel barrel aging compliments that well with some tart notes. The sweetness of the persimmon flowers balances it all out.

M- Medium, not oily on the tongue. Moderate carbonation.

D- If you like rye beer and/or sour beer this is an excellent beer to try. On a hot day this would be a great beverage to have with you while Fairfax floats by.

I originally thought that these would be available for sale to take away, but no dice. That's fine , though, since having a bottle at the Brew Pub aint bad, either. I like their willingness to experiment, and I'll be curious to know what other little batches these guys cook up.

On tap at the brewpub. Poured into a Belgian tulip.

A-It has a very unusual color. In my notes I wrote it looks like hazy, dark colored grapefruit juice. It has a 1.25 finger off white head that has some good retention.

S-There is a lot going on in the nose. It has some nice funk and lemon tartness. The zin barrel used to age the beer imparts a lot of wine and oak characteristics.

T-It starts with some funk and some of the persimmons that were added to the barrel. The zin barrel flavors are also prevalent. The base rye beer is noticeable in the middle and gives it some rye spiciness as well as a nice hop bite. Lemon flavor also comes and goes with each sip.

M-Medium bodied, well carbonated, and not overly sour.

D-I enjoyed this one. It it needs some time for everything to come together.

Not a bad take on a sour. I look forward to picking up a few bottles to see how this one does with some age. Keep the barrel aged beers coming!