Beer:Barrel:Time (Rye 2020)
Side Project Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slightly glossier black than the BBT 2020 next to it, this also builds a little more of a darker mocha head, which too fizzles out swiftly, perhaps leaving a little less of a stain on the glass than regular.

Somewhat dismayed at the results of this side by side, I found myself revisiting more pours repeatedly over the course of an hour to reconfirm my findings, attempting to palate cleanse and reset several times, ultimately having to walk away and thoroughly acknowledge that this does not diverge very far from regular BBT at all. While a tad less sweet, and maybe a little drier and tingly in the finish, as well as warmer on the exhale and slightly lighter in body, none of those slight adjustments were particularly drastic or even distinguishing. It's not even particularly distinct or characteristic of anything resembling rye, which is a huge disappointment for me as I've had several other rye barrel aged stouts that were just leaps and bounds better than their bourbon barrel aged sisters or counterparts. At least to my palate.

Essentially, you can see my BBT 2020 review for more details, but despite this being a world class beer, I'm actually significantly unhappy with this experience, in particular with Rye BBT. Considering the amount of hype it commands and how much I had to sacrifice to get ahold of it, this is perhaps the biggest let down I've experienced in the world of craft beer. A luxurious one, to be sure, but one all the same.

 

Look - black and thick syrup with a nice tan head and incredible rimming
Smelll - chocolate fudge vanilla brownie and booze
Taste - boozy chocolate caramel woody slight spice
Feel - thick creamy light carb
Overall - I liked 2021 BBT more than the 2020 Rye but this was still fantastic!

 

Deep oily dark black body. Bakers chocolate, chocolate fudge waft from the nose, warming spicy rye with vanillin. Thick, full bodied, lower carbonation. Big chocolate fudge and a bit of bitter earthy wood lingers on the finish. Excellent.

Like b2, b3 and b4 BBT, this is yet another motor oil thick, intensely complex barrel aged imperial stout. None better out there in my opinion. The rye just adds a bit more spice to the mix, and as someone who enjoys that aspect personally, this one really is the very best rye BBA beer. Just solid everywhere.

The best of the BBT batches, the rye barrel treatment truly shines. Better than your top-notch Maman bottles and slightly less than the non-adjunct versions of Derivation.

side by side with 2020 BBT. thinner than 2020 BBT, but near perfection.

 

 

#WickedBeerSideProjectShare2021. Unbelievable. THere's a HUGE rye presence on this that really sets it apart from any other BBT I've ever had. It's got that punch of spicy rye & oak, finishing with a warm whiskey burn. Notes of tobacco and stewed fruit round it out perfectly, further laying the groundwork for a pretty much perfect experience.

 

750 mL bottle. Inky black. Smells of intense rye, earthy deep malts, bitter chocolate. Tastes of rye whiskey, bitter chocolate, heavy earthy malts, more rye whiskey. This is intense. Extremely heavy. Lots of alcohol. Intense rye whiskey flavor. Difficult to drink, but it's tasty.