Corktown Rye IPA
Atwater Brewery

This is one that needs to go into production again. What a gem of a brew that gives way to something different over the amber category. This one adds the flavor and the balance to giving an amber beer that Detroit quality to it!

 

 

Happy New Atwater Brewery Beer Sunday (Week 664)! Each week, I try to gather several beers out of my backlog from one particular brewery for a brewery horizontal. This week is the exceptionally hit-or-miss Atwater Brewery from Detroit, MI, continuing with this beer.

From the bottle: "Rye India Pale Ale"; "Pairs with: Toasting History or Making Your Own."; "Born in Detroit. Raised everywhere."

I am really excited to drink this beer! I am a self-described, self-avowed hophead who loves IPAs, but the advent/return of rye to beer and by extension, whisky, has really tripped my trigger. I Pop!ped the cap, but I showed a modicum of self restraint by performing a slow, gentle pour, rather than just pouring the whole thing down my throat in one fell swoop. I used one of my modified Mason jar glasses with a handle since that is how I like to drink PA-made rye moonshine when it occasionally surfaces. An in-glass swirl raised just under three fingers of dense, rocky, foamy, light-tan head with very good retention. Color was a gorgeous Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with garnet highlights, reminiscent of a former flame's hair. Sigh. Nose smelled of that earthy, spicy quality that can never be mistaken for anything other than rye. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but close. The taste was initially of freshly-spaded earth, like the soil at a gravesite, but not as morbid. Suddenly, it opened up with a cool, peppery spiciness like the "Spring Surprise" in the classic Monty Python skit! Ahh, this is my kind of beer - immediately hazardous to my health. The spicy, minty flavor was one that should be captured & made into some stripe of air freshener or CANdle. Finish was dry, but minty fresh. I felt as though I had been gargling. I am quickly becoming a born-again believer in Atwater Brewery!

 

 

 

Very intoxicating beer with a lot of different flavors and personality mixed into it. It has a great flavor of barley and wheat to it and you can sit on it for hours and still enjoy it. I would recommend this to someone who wants to try a new beer and doesn't know where exactly to start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz. Bottle ($9.99 sixer at Copper Vine, dated Jan1316) poured into a nonic pint.

A- A conservative pour creates 1-finger of dense, khaki head. The body is a clean copper with medium-light carbonation. The head drops to 1/4 finger where it sustains itself. There are wide foamy rings and webbing all about the glass that are distinctive with each sip.

S- A good balance of multiple components. There is a definite spicy, rye aroma tha mixes nicely with equally herbal hops and a sweet, caramel malt backbone.

T- Pretty much as the aroma suggests. A mix of rye, herbal hops, and a bready and caramel malt quality. Not as up front as say Red's, but it's not too difficult to pick up on the rye addition. The finish tends toward the grapefruit side, cleaning the flavor quite nicely.

M- Medium-full body with moderate carbonation and a nice hoppy bite. Bone dry finish.

O- A quality rye beer (actually the label denotes rye IPA). Drinkable enough to do a couple in a session. At the right pricing point, and with high availability at my neighborhood shop, I see picking up another six pack in the near future.

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but was released recently. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red/copper color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice capo that lasts. Nice dense soapy lacing clings around the glass. Aromas of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, caramel, brown sugar, spicy rye, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of citrus/tropical hops, spicy rye, and moderate dark/bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, lemon zest, orange peel, pine, caramel, brown sugar, spicy rye, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness. Good amount of pine/citrus rind bitterness and rye spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, lemon/orange rind, pine, caramel, spicy rye, toasted bread, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/tropical/piney hops, spicy rye, and moderate dark/bready malt sweetness; with a good malt/bitterness balance and no cloying flavors after the finish. Moderate dryness from bitterness that increases through the glass. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth, sticky/resinous, and creamy/bready balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good rye IPA. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of citrus/tropical/piney hops, spicy rye, and moderate dark/bready malt sweetness; and very smooth and easy to drink. Definitely a lot of rye malt in this beer, but has nice balance of the hops and sweet malts as well. A very enjoyable offering.