Rye Wine
Drake's Brewing Co.

On tap at the Bistro in Hayward, CA and served in a tulip glass. Pours clear ruby red with minimal head and lace. Aroma is big – sweet fruitiness, spiciness, and booze. The taste is huge. The fruitiness is there in a big way - maybe apricots and cherry – quite sweet, VERY alcoholic, some hop bittering for balance, and a bit of rye spice. The mouthfeel is fairly full, with minimal bite from carbonation, and only a touch of hop astringency. Definitely a sipper, and limit one or two. An outstanding beer and a great way to finish the night’s drinking.

Note - this probably fits better in the Barley Wine Category, but I don't have any grain bill info to consider the percent of barley versus rye.

On draught at Freakin' Frog in Las Vegas. This brew is a hazed amber-orange color with a medium beige head that dissipates slowly. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of spice, bready malt and brandy. Rich-bodied, this beer is definitely a sipper. Flavors of sweet spices, caramel malt, raw fruit and rye. The finish is bready malt with an undercurrent of alcohol, hops and spices. Overall this is a distinct Barley Wine that is fairly enjoyable.

On tap at the Freakin Frog in Las Vegas.

Poured a medium and cloudy brownish color wth a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of citrus, floral hops, rye, and earthy. Tastes of caramel, rye, floral, and citrus. Light to medium alcohol in the finish. On the sweeter side.

Notes from and tasted on 6/18/08

on-tap at Freakin Frog in Las Vegas, NV

A- orange with red hughes, a tiny soapy white head with decent retent

S- floral, spicy, grainy, perfumy alchohol

T- flavors split between sweet malts and a dry spicy grainy flavor, alchohol sneaks in toward the finish and slowly burns through after taste, with some candy sweetness throughout

M- thick and sticky with some heat but very tame

D- interesting concoction, thought very sweet, but alchohol is amazingly tame for the ABV percentage, but I wouldn't come back to this it doesn't do anything to define itself

Consumed 05/09/08 @ The Freakin' Frog, Las Vegas.

Color sort of threw me for a description: light maroon? Cherry cough syrup? Minimal head and lacing but this beer does have legs.

Aroma is big: sweet honey and alcohol.

Flavor is extremely sweet, almost mead-like. Honey is evident as well as the rye. Huge on the palate. Alchol is present, but not as strong a flavor as you'd expect. A little sticky in the mouth, but a much lighter body than might be suspected based on the ABV.

Flavors like this say two things on the first sip: this is gonna be interesting and wow, are you gonna be hung over tomorrow.

Unique, interesting beer that's amazingly drinkable once it warms up a bit. Deadly.

A note: I suspect this may be the same keg that Pauly reviewed a month before at the same location. Perhaps the age of the keg factors into my not tasting any of the subtle character others have noted. Or maybe my palate's just more coarse. Who knows? I still liked it.

Had this beer at tap at Freakin' Frog. 4/17/08

Nice orange amber color with plentiful head. Notes of coconut and pineapple on nose and confirmed on palate. Leesy characteristic from rye and a bit of a burn from the alcohol. Once you get adjusted to such a high gravity beer, more subtle nuances come out. Solid offering, once you get past the hight alcohol. This beer would do wonders after being aged.

Reviewed at the 2007 Strong Ale festival

A- Hue is blazing orange, non-existent head and lacing

S- Nose is syrupy sweetness, tones of honey, citrus, apples, rye malts, molasses, floral hops (honeysuckle)

T- Initial taste is sweet wheat and rye malts, honey and dark fruit sweetness borders on cloying, finishes with sweet dryness and alcohol warming, well-balanced and complex

M- Full-bodied, oily texture, low carbonation

D- Delicious and easy to drink rye wine, sweet fruits are balanced by rye malts, I look forward to drinking this in larger quantities in the future