Desert Rider
Rusty Rail Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Next up. a short break. Not from Bottles (!), but from Tavour. I am taking a break from The CANQuest (tm) to run through some Bottles (gasp!). It needed to be done & this will pave the way for a massive return to CANs when I'm done. I got this at Rieker Bottle Works just before the quarantine began.

From the Bottle: "Desert Rider Agave Lime IPA"; "India Pale Ale with Natural Flavors"; "IBU 42".

I drank some bottled water before I Pop!ped the cap on this one since I wanted to start fresh. Once opened, a slow, gentle C-Line pour seemed to be in order since the hour was advancing. It foamed up briefly to form two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, soapy, bone-white head with modest retention, quickly fading away to wisps. Color was a solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was less lime-y than in the previous one, but the brightness of the agave really shone here. It had the flowery citrusiness that makes tequila, like the one that I am having on this occasion, such a bright drink. You may not think of tequila as refreshing, but the better-quality versions are quite nice. Lime & Agave - a nice adjunct combo to an AIPA! The taste had a brilliant bitterness - lime, agave & hops, all commingled to give it a kick that would go well with a southwestern dish. I'm envisioning huevos rancheros or a Denver omelet, something with eggs, peppers & salsa. Dang, another winner! This made me think of slow nights at anchor when there were several of us who would muster on the fantail for cigars & libations. This had a subtle smokiness that began to assert itself as it warmed. Could they have smoked the limes? Is that possible? It was not the agave, which is a sweeter taste. Mmm. Very tasty! Finish was dry with a citrusy bitterness that lingered well after the swallow. I'm really glad for the timely find in my stash to accompany the previous beer! I am still sipping on the 1800 so the remainder of the bottle will get set aside for future antics. No need to totally gild the lily with the stores closed or on reduced hours. YMMV.

Rusty Rail Brewing Company "Desert Rider"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, "BOTTLED 042519" and sampled on 092919
$2.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: It looks great in the glass so we're off to a good start. It's a hazy golden / orange beneath a two-finger thick head of creamy off-white foam that appears a little rocky on top. I've been waiting for a few minutes to see if it drops but it's holding up really well. It looks like there will be some good lacing as well but we'll see about that later. On to the aroma, it's floral, fruity, and a touch spicy over what seem like a wheaty malt base. The head has dropped by now and it's a 1/4 cap of solid creamy foam. The flavor follows with the spiciness and the seemingly wheaty malt dominating over the fruity and floral notes. What's this beer brewed with? Agave and lime. Hmmm, I get neither of those. Oh, wait. I was just about to say let me check on that when I got a note of lime in the finish, which is lingering. I'm still missing the agave though, although I'll admit to not being too familiar with it. Regardless I'd say it's a decent beer that's very drinkable; and now I've found that note of agave. It's a sweetish note towards the finish so I'm assuming they've used agave syrup. I should have just let it warm up a little bit more before I started tasting it. This is good, it's interesting. I don't know that it needed to be an IPA, but IPA sells, right? How strong is it? 6%, that's not bad; and it lists 42 IBUs as well. It's pretty nicely balanced. In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp. Looking back, the lacing is pretty damned good, and I've still got a solid creamy surface covering of a head. In the end there is something a little odd about this that I can't put my finger on, and it doesn't scream agave and lime, which might also be a good thing, but I find it pleasant and intriguing, and I'd drink another one. I'd say it's worth trying.
Review #6,702