Dry Rye Stout
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

Root beer brown with fleeting red and gold accents. One finger of pale gold, sponge-like foam could be seen atop the beer and barely crested the top edge of the mug. It lasted long enough, never disappeared completely, and was responsible for a few scattered patches of sea foam lace.

The aroma deserves praise for being... well... aromatic. Each sniff delivered plenty of charred malt and crushed cocoa nibs. A moderate spiciness might have been due to either flaked rye or Tettnanger hops. Or, quite possibly, both. At this point, my taste buds were more than ready to rock and roll.

Dry Rye Stout tasted like its name. Think of one of the better Irish dry stouts that you've had, then add a generous amount of earthy-spicy rye and an equally generous amount of German hops. It sounds like it would work... and it does.

The flavor profile was surprisingly complex for such a relatively low-ABV ale. DRS tasted like toasted rye bread (with caraway seeds), cocoa powder and black coffee. The beer wasn't too dry, which was a positive. There was just enough underlying chocolate-like sweetness to keep drinkability on the high side.

Although the body/mouthfeel probaby wasn't too far out of line for the style, it could have used a bit more heft. The finish began to let go just when I was looking for it to hang on a fraction longer. Carbonation? No complaints.

Dry Rye Stout is wonderful beer that I would love to see on future visits to the West Des Moines Rock Bottom. It was good solo and was equally tasty alongside a reuben and a pile of malt kettle chips. If the suggestion box is open, a winterized version with more malt and a creamier mouthfeel would probably be off the charts.