Rigamarole Rye
Half Pints Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Interesting ale. Hops were either a bit faded (but still added flavour) or overpowered by ginger and spices. Whiskey character was good, and a bit of sour mash in the finish.
Overall a decently tasting well crafted ale, more boozy than declared abv. Above average mouthfeel.

 

Bottle shared by Liam.

Hazy orange colour, about a finger of white head and a bit of lace on the glass. Smell is rye malt and acidic qualities, a little bit of oak and something in the way of nail polish remover as well, perhaps this was infected or just seemed off in some way. Taste is largely acidic with some sour points, a bit of spicy rye and some oak as well as some whisky flavours. Medium carbonation, medium body, ok feel. I wasn't crazy about this, didn't really come together for me and I dont know if I finished my glass, perhaps this was an off bottle.

Bottle from kjyost, 650ml.

Reddish mahogany, with a white head. OK lacing, and good retention. Nose is malty, some rye and whiskey character. Light acidity and some berries. Taste is sweet, malty, rye bread, light balsamic, some citrus hop notes. A bit more acidity. Don't really think this is infected at all, but the interplay of a variety of ingredients and the barrel treatment brings out some unique flavours. Medium feel, medium carbonation. Tartness in the finish. Not sure how I feel about this, I'm not wholly satisfied but there's some interesting stuff going on here that could've been built upon better.

***2010 Vintage***

Thanks to kjyost for this one.

Poured from a 650ml. bottle.

Appearance: A dark, dirty leather color with areal nice head that has great retention and leaves spots of lacing around.

Smell: Unmistakeable whiskey aroma but veers more towards the beer side than the liquor side. Strong, spicy aroma with overripe peaches. I think this is the best whiskey-aged aroma in a beer that i've had.

Taste: Continues the trend of a nice combo between liquor & beer. Leathery whiskey, sweet a bit, good dose of spices, dark fruits and alcohol soaked peaches.

Mouthfeel: Good spicy bite with some bitterness starting in the middle straight to the end. Strong body.

Overall: I really liked the mix of whiskey and beer as it doesn't taste like someone poured whiskey into my glass. The beer is slightly stronger but they mesh well. The only issue is after a glass, it gets burdensome to drink which is why i scored overall at 3.5. If these were 12oz., i'd be all over them.

 

 

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a nice large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma of oak and whiskey is more dominant then I had anticipated with some spicy rye notes also noticeable. Taste is also dominated by whiskey notes with light alcohol notes discernable with spicy rye notes and some oak notes are also noticeable. Body is quite full with good carbonation and some alcohol was apparent. Interesting but in the end there was too much oak and whiskey notes for my own taste.

Thanks to alex for sharing this one at the Halloween tasting. Pours a red blood orange with no head and a slight white ring at the edges. Smell is rye, spicy wood, faint hops and a bit of orange peel. Taste is pure oak. There is a bit of hops and rye in the background and a hint of alcohol, but oak pretty much dominates. Would have definitley enjoyed some of that "fine whiskey" flavor to balance out some of the harshness of the wet oak. Medium bodied with light carbonation, this beer is ok but not so drinkable. If there was an oak beer category, this would have a much better rating.

Thanks to MasterSki for bringing this to our All Hallow's Eve tasting that was oddly Canadian themed.

A - Brownish orange beer with a small head that dissipated to a ring.

S - Huge rye on the nose. A little bit of citrus there adds some interesting sweetness, although mixed with the rye it also smelled a little rotten.

T - I'm not going to claim I love this taste, but it was unique enough to warrent a better than average rating. Bit of oak and huge rye with some citrus hops. The rye tends to fade as you drink it, making it more drinkable.

M - Medium bodied and a little sticky, moderate carbonation.

D - Highly drinkable for the high ABV, had no idea, but sure felt it later.

Thanks to kjyost for this one.
Tasting notes from 10/29/10
Pored in to a Duvel tulip glass.

A - Very dark amber/brown colour. Poured very thick with two fingers of cream coloured head.

S - Nose is a touch off-putting with a somewhat sour smell. Some light hop bitterness and some malt sweetness but overall not much going on with this one.

T - Some malt sweetness and a slight bitterness from the hops but not a lot of flavour contribution from either, just some base bitterness and sweetness. A slight taste of oak and some spiciness rounds out the flavour profile. The slightly off-putting sourness from the nose was evident at first but seemed to disappear as this one warmed up. The sweetness also heightened as this one warmed up. Slight bitter/spicy taste in the finish.

M - Medium body, lightly carbonated.

Thanks to oakbluff for tossing us a bottle of this one. Served in a Duvel tulip.

A - Pours with a finger of tan foam that settles to a very thin cap and ring, leaving behind no lace. Hazed orange-brown color.

S - Zesty, spicy, wet wood, rye, and some orange citrus hop character.

T - Taste is also heavy in oak, which mingles with some citrus zest and zesty rye. Zesty!

M - Some zesty carbonation as well. Smooth medium body, with a very oaky tannic finish.

D - This doesn't taste like 9% which is a positive, but it's far to oaky to be more than an interesting diversion. You can tell this is a second use barrel, as there isn't much overt Crown Royal in aroma or flavor.

660ml bottle provided by Alex at our Canadian tasting...After loving half pints first barrel aged beer, $ellout Stout, I was super excited to try this, however, hugely disappointing...Medium brown beer with ok head, nothing special...The aroma all rye and oak, pretty boring...The taste is mostly rye and oak too, the sweetness that is expected from the crown is totally gone. You can instantly tell the Crown barrels are in there second usage as all you get is the oak, might as well have just used new barrels. Nothing redeeming about this beer, skip it.

the second score in my hat trick from smoozing @ the 'Hat's 2nd beer fest. Thanks again Dave.

Even with the high ABV, very nice head and lacing. Cloudy rich reddish brown,

Bourbon, vanilla, whiffs of alcihol vapour, Sweet toasted malts.

Smooth caramel malts. oaky earthiness and hint of vanilla. Alcohol makes the mid back a bit boozy. Finish is quite dry and earthy with the alchohol providing a bit of a listerine like finish.

Full body, somewhat sticky, but a nice dryer finish than some in the style.

Would love to put a few of these away in a proper cellar becuase the potential for aged greatness is there

16 ounce bomber from the brewery release. Pours a muddy brown chestnut, with a beige two finger head and soapy lacing. Nose- toasty, coconut, vanilla, and some fusel heat. taste- spicy, fairly bitter from the dry hopping. Caramel, moderate oak flavour, with a dry, aspiring like finish. Has fairly high booziness to it.

Poured into a Duvel tulip.

Pours fairly stiffly a deep amber reddish brown that is either cloudy or merely opaque (hard to tell) with a small off white head that descends quickly but laces lightly nevertheless.

The aromas coming from the beer are exceptional. Caramel and toffee hit me first, but then you realize there is a giant wallop of hops in their with a citrusy twist. Some alcohol is present on the nose along with the oak aging. As time passes, the oak becomes much more prevalent on the nose.

Oh boy, the oak plays wonders with this beer. Coupled with my chili dinner there is evident spice in the body but plays almost perfectly (and magically) with the oak that is upfront. Some sweetness is there and it finishes with a note of alcohol. The multiple levels of this beer are very well balanced.

Low carbonation gives the beer an almost creamy mouthfeel and it pours down much too easily and quickly...

A great beer overall.