Touch Of Rye Ale
White Birch Brewing

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this beer

Consumed 11/14/14

A: Lightly hazy medium gold - some yellow and burnt gold - pours with a medium sized, white head - leaves some specs of lacing

S: Lightly fruity and with light funk - lacto, with some nice lactic funk - fairly soft though, rather than a ripe, lactic funk - some nice, pale malts - light bread - lots of wheat - light touch of rye, very distinctive, lightly spicy - some light fruit, light sweetness

T: Light fruits, light malts, and some nice funk - light lactic funk, with some musty cellar - a light touch of lemon - very wheaty - rye is here, but it's very light - pale malts in general, very light bread

M: Light body, smooth, nice carbonation, refreshing

O: Touch of interesting

This is a relatively unexciting witbier with a hint of lacto and a hint of rye. It's much cleaner than some other White Birch beers. I would say this is worth a try, but I'm pretty sure only 60 bottles were ever released. Ever.

Appearance: Super clear straw gold. Head is bright white and drops to a small wispy cap and tiny collar. No lacing. Minimal carbonation on the pour.

Smell: Lacto comes through. Slightly spoiled milk. Slightly tart. Very light touch of wheat. Some mild citric notes creep through the back. Minimal hops. Malts are incredibly light with some very soft biscuity elements. Yogurt. A touch of cheese. A touch of grass. A touch of lemon. Very light and clean. Lacto really shines through the minimal malt base. Very vague notion of rye adds a mild malty spice to the whole thing. A touch of solvent and rubber hose as it warms.

Taste: Band-aids and rubber gloves. Mild lactic tartness coupled with a touch of light cracker and wheat. Some small grassy notes. Very mild and light. Lacto fades out as it warms. Leaves more of that White Birch rubber hose flavor. Some slight biscuity notes. Not a ton of complexity at this point. Lacto fades a little and the rye barely exists. Flash of slightly sour milk and a vague tart edge.

Mouthfeel: Light body with minimal to moderate carbonation. Clean and light and easy.

Overall: Wheat milk water.

This was interesting when it was fresh. It has not aged gracefully. The rye drops out and the lacto is faint. It carries the distinct lack of care that plagues a lot of White Birch stuff. Just missing a bit after aging.

 

Pours a hazy light straw color with a smallish white head that dissipates quickly to a ring on top. I got some wicked berry aromas out of the bottle as soon as I managed to wrangle the cork out. After she's in the glass it smells more of lemon and light tart cherries with a light sweet honey like malt as well as a whole lot of spicy wheat. The flavor is not what I expected based on the aroma. There is a light sugary honey like malt that carries the beer through with some sweeter fruits like cherry and blueberry. There's a definite lemony tartness as well as a bit of yeast and wheat spiciness adding another layer. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a slick somewhat coating mouthfeel. This is an interesting brew. Its hard to describe, doesn't fall into any style right, but it kind of works. Its a lightly tart easy drinking fruity lawnmower beer?