Rye Special Bitter
Third Street Aleworks

 

i guess the recipe has changed since the last two reviewers sampled, since i didn't taste what they reviewed. i liked it

the color was pretty weak. watery, pale amber color with some wisps and some lacing

hops are minimal (at least compared to the rye beer in the town over), though some bitterness comes through after a little piney flavor. otherwise it's primarily malt flavors. the rye presents a nice zing. it's more noticeable than in hop rod, actually

some fruitiness

Appearance – This came out a pretty, solid orange in color with a lovely white, filmy head that showed great retention. It lingered for a full 30 minutes after a modest pour.

Smell – There is a strange orange maltiness to the nose, no hops, and certainly no rye that I can find.

Taste – The orange from the nose is more like orange peel on the tongue. I still can’t find any rye notes here and there is no bitterness to the beer, either.

Mouthfeel – This is in between light and medium-bodied with a strange vegetal body.

Sinkability – The beer was way off style. This rye is a lie.

This is sort of a "rye beer meets ESB" hybrid that sadly it doesn't have the distinguishing characteristics of either style.

The pour is attractive, a deep hazy orange with a reasonable pure white head. Clumps of foam stick around throughout the drink leaving bits of lacing along the glass.

The smell is very fruity - apricot meets sweet malt. The taste is quite similar, very sweet with no traces of hops to be found. Apricot, pineapple and pear dominate with sweet golden grain flavors in the background. No hopping to be found of either the Noble variety or PNW.

Mouthfeel is fine but a bit undercabonated, leaving the beer feeling heavier than it should (especially served on-tap)

This is actually a good tasty beer but they shouldn't try to sell it as a Rye or an ESB. If you're in the mood for a low ABV brew with lots of distinct fruit taste it's a good choice.