Lazier Rye (Barreled)
Country Boy Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a somewhat murky golden amber with a creamy whitish mousse. Head retention is surprisingly good. Lacing is moderate.

S: Aromas of caramel, black pepper, butterscotch, toffee, roasted nuts, honeysuckle, woody spices, charred oak, biscuits, and grassy, citrusy hops are prevalent on the nose. The way the typical pale ale and rye whiskey scents merge is truly fascinating. Easily one of the best smelling barrel-aged beers I've run across in some time.

T: Whiskey barrel notes of honeysuckle, woody spices, butterscotch, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla bean, charred oak, toffee, roasted nuts, and toasted coconut emerge first, but are soon joined by notes of black pepper, biscuits, rye bread, and citrusy hops. The finish is long and intense with a pleasant mixture of vanilla bean, oak, black pepper, caramel, biscuits, nuts, and citrus before mellow, warming alcohol takes over completely.

M: Medium-to-full in body, but probably just a bit closer to the latter than the former. Very dry, but this is relatively typical of strong, barrel-aged ales. Carbonation is lively and prickly. Alcohol presence is pronounced, but not fiery or intense. A good beer to sip and savor in the evening.

O: I really, really like this ale. I'm a fan of Country Boy's regular Lazy Rye Pale Ale anyway, but this insanely ramped-up, barrel-aged version is even better. I could definitely see this one going over quite well with fans of both rye whiskey and strong ales. Very nicely done.

If the Lazy Rye Pale Ale is good, and the Sazerac Lazy Rye is better- then this even lazier rye ale should be off the charts! As the scale and proportions keep reaching upwards, it’s obvious that there's a whole lotta "don't give a crap" in this beer!

Opening like the Sazarac version, the beer is lightly viscous and pours like honey with its visual texture and color. Capped with stark-white froth, the beer's foam character struggles with retention and lace as it prefers brandy-like legging as much as it does Belgian lace.

Sweet and rich on the palate, the taste of caramel is dense and hearty- butterscotch, vanilla, cashews, toffee, and maple all intertwine to create a savory elixir that's meant for sipping. Strong alcohol presence provides the much needed spice balance, especially as the herbal hop support is quite mild.

Full bodied and delicately creamy from start to finish, the beer is pleasantly oily and rich. Seeming of port wine or savory cordials, the beer finishes malty-dry with rum-like alcohols warming the throat. Its sultry sweetness lingers well into the next sip.

Though the beer is absurd in its enormity, there's a lot of finesse in the ale- making it perfect for after dinner digestive or in complement to cheesecake.