Cosmic Autumn Ryebellion
Troubled Monk Brewery

 

355ml can, @6.6% ABV. A red rye IPA, their (not so) current seasonal.

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick brown colour, with four flabby fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy tan head, which leaves some spooky wafting smoke signal lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.

It smells of semi-sweet, bready and doughy caramel malt, a lesser rye graininess, subtle domestic citrus rind, some earthy nuttiness, and very tame leafy, weedy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, sort of spicy rye crackers, muddled citrus pith, more oily nutty esters, and some testy grassy, leafy, and piney verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-tickling frothiness, the body a decent medium weight, and generally smooth, just a touch of rye astringency perhaps mucking about a little too forcefully here. It finishes off-dry, with the mixed malt and forest floor detritus hop bitterness both lingering well into that good night.

Overall - this comes across as a rather tasty and well-constructed offering, as the malt profile is robust without becoming too sweet, and the hops keep this more or less in IPA territory. Easy to drink, and definitely worth checking out, y'know, in the middle of winter!

 

This is easily TM’s best seasonal in recent memory. It’s a gorgeous beer, deep amber with a tawny head. The nose is full of what I presume is Red Shed malt, and the flavor follows suit. The taste is a lovely balance of rich and bitter - truly excellent stuff! A perfect treat for the season.