Organic Sweet Potato Rye
London Brewing

473 mL can from the LCBO; no packaging date, but it showed up in October so I doubt it's more than a few months old. Served barely chilled.

Pours a fogged amber-bronze hue, crowned with nearly two fingers of creamy, beige-coloured foam that recedes within five minutes or so. A narrow band of lace hangs above a tight collar of creamy froth, encircling a thin filmy cap - quite attractive in the glass, but the aroma's a little on the muted side. It's earthy and a little dirty, with hints of caramelized sugars, doughy malts, rye bread and cinnamon.

This comes off rather like a spiced amber ale, and a fairly serviceable one at that. Leans sweet overall, with rye bread, toasted grains and brown sugar coming through at first, then hints of carrot muffin and cinnamon by mid-sip. That continues through to the finish, which concludes with molasses sweetness, earthy/herbal hops and a hint of ginger snap. The sweet potato is more of a background presence, being most noticeable in the aftertaste IMO, as there's less going on to distract the taste buds. Medium in body, with moderately low carbonation levels that weakly agitate the surface of the tongue, giving a little bit of a bite to this smooth, slick-textured brew. I finished my can off without a fuss, but one should be more than enough for most folks.

Final Grade: 3.71, a B grade. Rye beers are a personal favourite, but they've become increasingly rare finds over the past few years, at least in my experience. With its spice and vegetable additions, it's hard to see this strictly as a rye beer, but London's Organic Sweet Potato Rye is still considerably better than nothing. I am not a huge fan of spiced beers - this one is at least even handed in its usage, but I could've done without the cinnamon entirely. Still worth a looksie if you're lucky enough to find it.