Rye-on-Rye
Boulevard Brewing Co.

 

Rye on Rye has a medium, cream-colored head and a murky, caramel appearance, with minimal lacing. The aroma is of dates, golden raisins, and brown bread crust. The flavor is of those elements, with some tea, rye spice, and rather low bitterness. Rye on Rye has a medium body and a chalky mouthfeel. It has a mostly-dry finish.

RJT

 

Pours a rusty, muddy brown with a short tan head, moderate retention; there is a huge amount of chunky particulate, however, to a degree that seems excessive. Nose is spicy rye bread, yeast esters, roasted barley, brown sugar - very reminiscent of a dark Belgian in aroma. Taste is similar to a Wisconsin Old Fashioned - sweet rye, crushed maraschino cherries, raw brown sugar. The rye is prominent, with the booze up front and a spirit-dominant aftertaste. Still, not getting to much depth here, but just as there is a place for cheap cocktails, there's a place for this, I suppose. Mouthfeel has good body and there's enough carbonation to keep it from getting too heavy. Still, a one and done for me.

 

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass
Appearance – The beer pours a medium brown color with a small head of tan foam. The head has a good level of retention, fading over time and leaving a good deal of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is strong of a sweet caramel and brown bread smell mixed with a moderately strong rye bread aroma. Mixed with these smells comes notes of harvest fruits and some cherry as well as a bit of raisin and prune. Rounding it all out are some light oaky and bourbon smells as well as a little bit of toffee and spice.
Taste – The taste begins with a very sweet caramel and harvest fruit taste of apple and pear. Mixed with the sweet is a brown and rye bread flavor as well as some notes of grain and toffee. These flavors last throughout the taste profile and are the main components of the taste profile. Throughout the rye taste and a bit of oak and smoke get a bit more intense, all while the brown bread and caramel fad a tad. At the same time some boozy bourbon and woody tastes come to the tastebuds, leaving one with a rather sweet and warming rye/brown bread taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is quite thick and heavy with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. For the style the feel is quite appropriate for the big nature of the brew and makes for a slow sipper.
Overall – A bit heavy on the sweetness, but overall, a nice warmer. While not one I would frequent it is worth at least a try.

12 oz. Bottle
PLEASE ENJOY BY: 17 MAR 2024
ABV: 12.2%

Poured into a tulip a very nice light brownish color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice thick/creamy one-finger off-white head, with some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, with a very nice citrusy, dark fruit complex (raisins, grapes, dates, figs, cherries, plums), whiskey/oak. The taste is very nice malty, hoppy, citrusy, with a very nice dark fruit complex (raisins, grapes, dates, figs, cherries, plums), whiskey/oak. Full body, ABV hidden very nicely, with a very nice dry finish, a very nice complex sipper. Overall, this is a very tasty brew.

 

Bought from BottleCraft in San Diego, CA. ~$5 for 12oz bottle, poured into a snifter. Best by date: 01/05/24 (12.2% ABV), consumed: 12/04/22.

A&S: The beer is dark cinnamon-colored and has lots of unfiltered components. The beer has a surprisingly fizzy head for being barrel-aged. The head is tan and pours a finger then fades and maintains at a ring. The aroma is not very powerful until it warms. When it is warm alcohol (bourbon and cognac) is the main component. I also get vanilla and apples.

T&M: Pretty two-dimensional, caramel malts and alcohol. Fairly low hop bitterness. Spices (cinnamon and cloves) and maple syrup in the finish. The feel is great, medium to full-bodied with a tingle of carbonation.

Overall: It felt a little disingenuous to call this beer a rye beer, sure it has some of the characteristics, but it really seems to fit better as an American Strong Ale. If the category was different, I feel like the scores would be bumped down a bit. All that being said, pretty good beer, but wouldn't buy it again.

 

What a great beer!!! I have had this one in the refrigerator for over a year, so I'm sure it was smoother and less "hot" than one fresh off the shelf. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass, I was surprised to see a medium sized head on a beer that is over 14% abv!!! The head was a light tan/cream color, frothy with about average retention. There were even some wispy bits of lacing on the glass.....very impressive!!!! Great color too!!! Slightly hazy reddish mahogany brown. The amount of light coming through made this really beautiful. Strong aroma and taste. Up front it was all grainy, whiskey barrel ageing, and caramel malt. Next up was more bready (probably rye) malt and a little vanilla. In all, the nose and flavor were very enjoyable. Mouthfeel was rich, mostly smooth with some alcohol "burn". The year's ageing probably made this more enjoyable for me. The mouthfeel was very similar to a good barleywine. You have to pick your spots for an opportunity to drink a beer this strong, but I would love to have another one in storage for just such a time. This was a really great slow sipper!!!

 

 

Ale Tales

Appearance: Pours a clear dark amber color with a one finger ecru head that fades to a collar; spotty dribbles

Smell: Caramel, raisin and cinnamon toast enveloped by the Rye Whiskey barrel

Taste: Cinnamon toast forward with caramel and raisin flavors emerging; the Rye Whiskey arrives in the mid-palate and develops into a modestly boozy finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: I expected this to be good and I was not disappointed; the best part is that the sweetness doesn't overwhelm, allowing the Rye and the phenols to be front and center

 

Pours a murky dark brown with a small shortlived tan head and minimal lacing.

Smells of toasted malt, raisins, plums and oak.

Tastes of spicy malt, raisins, plums , and oak with a mildly bitter alcohol warm finish.

Medium heavy body with light carbonation. Lightly lush and syrupy mouthfeel.

This is a very flavorful and powerful sipper. I appreciate that it is not very sweet and balances its spicy and bitter side well.

(12 oz bottle, 12.2% abv, L031822, please enjoy by 17MAR2024; purchased single off shelf at State Line today... poured into a tulip glass per their website's recommendation - thank you!)

L: mildly-hazed but mostly clear, dark tawny liquid bordering on garnet: a particular shade I cannot recall seeing; tight, near velvety foam... head/cap holds longer than expected, given its rapid decline

S: obvious rye-infused alcoholic something with some leathery caramel wafting in the the back... sweet (cinnamon-sugar crusted?) bread crust and near clove-y, perfumy ethanol soon emerge... smells like an extra-toasty cinnamon roll with a hint of sweat - yum!

T: rye barrel influence (vanilla; spirits spice) looms large over what tastes like a rye-tinged imperial amber; only mild (rye) spice, mid-to-back palate, vaguely (cinnamon-y) phenolic, with flourishes of caramelized apple-y caramel swirling about... rye foam and apple must

F: definite aura/shell of chilly smacked-flesh spiritousness emanating 'round a remarkably light, taut body... airy plushness up front, but it just floats and delicately smolders the palate in the finish... maybe too ghostly, lacking legs/contour/textures; certainly lends to sipping/pondering...

O: arguably the most rye-laden rye beer I've ever tried (aside from my 8.6% abv homebrewed extra-thicc 100% rye malt ryewine with wormwood about a decade ago - not a hit, lol)... definitely tasting the rye barrel character, though it's hardly apparent the character of the original rye spirit... gonna grab some more bottles; discuss its merits among drinking colleagues... quite an intriguing brew worth examining (2056)

 

 

 

Poured a nice slightly translucent brown mahogany with an off white head that melted to wispy foam clouds with a this ring around the glass. Stocky foam lace on the sides.
Taste and Smell of whiskey, caramel, and vanilla. High on the sweetness scale, but not overbearing. Some bitterness in the aftertaste and booziness up front.
Very easy to drink. Nicely carbonated.
This ia a very pleasant brew. I see many more in my future.

12 ounce bottle into a taster snifter.
L: Deep ruby and copper color. Get a photo of this one - the head makes only a cameo appearance.
S: Barrel right up front. Mellow char. Black cherries.
F: Rye barrel oak, Scotch whiskey, brown sugar delay - then hops and spicy ginger, of all things.,. and a great tempered alcohol hit. Finishes dry as a popcorn fart.
F: Nice. Not thick as a barleywine, medium carbonation, tingly.
O: An excellent example of the finer points of matching a well made ale with it’s corresponding and responsive barrel. A treat!

The body of this beer pours out a murky orange brown color with a short lived off white head that quickly diminishes to nothing. It is mostly clear except for clumps of suspended dregs that have yet to settle from an aggressive pour (recommend storing upright and pouring slowly to avoid this). Once the head fades, there is only a trace of fine carbonation that barely forms a ring at the top. Spicy rye with rich vanilla and charred oak notes start to come forward in the aroma as the beer starts to warm from refrigerator temps. The taste is dominated by rye whiskey spiciness and alcohol on a caramel base with a citrusy and drying component that gives this big beer balance. The mouthfeel is surprisingly lighter than expected although solidly in the medium to medium-full range. Overall, this is an excellent rye ale that creatively blends its grain and hops with strong rye whiskey barrel notes, into a big beer that goes down way to easy for its abv.

 

 

L: Nice creamy head with a hazy copper body.
S: Sweet and boozy. Rye, of course, big bourbon notes, caramel, and toast.
T: Upfront bourbon and caramel, followed by a bit of hoppy bitterness, then bourbon and rye spice on the finish.
F: Quite hot.
O: The warmest, and the most rye whisky forward beer I’ve had. It’s not as big upfront as a BA stout, but the finish delivers the rye all the way. Going to have to take my time with this one.

 

 

On tap at Bully's, a really charismatic bar/eatery in a prototypically gritty on the Susquehanna River in southern PA. Pours a very dark mahogany with very little noticeable head. Initial impression is a boozy but enjoyable Stout with notes of caramel, oak and yeah a little bit of whiskey. Overall, very enjoyable - although somewhat debilitating. Would have again in a heartbeat.

Dark brown-red from the front, bright, but hazy as expected from the rye, ruby with a back-light. Beautiful with the back-light. Moderately carbonated. Short light tan to off-white bubbly head with short retention, leaving no lacing.

Relatively strong aroma. The alcohol hits first, followed by raisins/dark fruit, spice, and bread, but the alcohol is pretty dominant in the smell.

Delightful flavor. Raisins, spice, bread, caramel, vanilla, rye bread. There's a sweetness to the flavor that is balanced by the spiciness, but even so, the overall leans toward sweet, but not overly sweet or cloying.

The alcohol, while not as in-your-face as in the aroma, is NOT well hidden. It's obvious and up front. It's not hidden at all, in fact, well or otherwise, giving a definite rye whiskey note with the alcohol. This is a strong beer than drinks like a strong beer. The flavor of alcohol/whiskey is obvious, but the warming effect, while not absent, is only just noticeable in my mouth. Although this warming does tend to grow the more I drink.

This beer starts on the sweet side, and maintains that through to the finish. It is not (very much not) a dessert beer, but it is sweet on the sweet-dry scale. It is a sipping beer. I need to drink it slowly to appreciate the nuances of flavor and also to control the alcohol hit.

The body is medium, with just a touch of carbonation initially that pretty much disappears by mid-way through the beer, leaving a feel more like a complex-tasting (but perhaps a bit creamy) whiskey, smooth.

Overall, an excellent Barlerye Wine. I really (really!) enjoyed this beer. This may become an annual purchase. I've set a couple back in my cellar, so maybe I'll build up a 2 or 3 year vertical (although, how I'd survive a 3 year vertical... probably not a good idea).

 

L: deep red, very lightly carbonated
S: rye whiskey; vanilla and oak
T: absolute blast of rye with vanilla and oak notes, finishes extremely clean with a very sweet aftertaste.
F: feels thin at first due to the high proof, but sticks around with incredible staying power. Sip this and enjoy.
O: this is a novelty, but an extremely well executed novelty for those who desire rye whiskeys or beers. Hopeful the company produces an oat whiskey oatmeal stout in the future.

Best by 12/8/23

I had the maple variant of this beer a few years back and it has remained in my top 10 of all time ever since. So needless to say, I’m quite excited to try this base beer. Let’s see if iyt holds up with support from maple

Pours an opaque rusty brown with 2 fingers of of beige head that fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The sweetness and the spice compliment each other nicely in the taste, but it definitely leans more towards sweetness. I’m picking up on aromas of sweet caramel, red malt, rye bread, toffee, molasses, and spicy whiskey

Somehow, it’s more cloying without the maple presence which is quite odd. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting spicy whiskey, sweet caramel, brown sugar, apple skin, brown bread, and raisin. The swallow brings notes of rye bread, spicy whiskey, earthy hops, sticky toffee, golden raisin, and molasses

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick and zesty beer. Finishes surprisingly dry but a bit sweet

So yeah, it’s quite a bit sweet, and will never touch the maple version IMO, but it is pretty damn good. I had to bump it up a bit in the overall because it is nicely executed

Bought a single 12 oz bottle $4.99 Village Bottle Shop
622 days before best by date
Smell of vanilla and bourbon
Brown-reddish color
Heavy mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Taste of prunes, raisins, molasses, bourbon, some alcohol aftertaste
Overall a great beer.

 

A very pretty burnt orange/mahogany color with a modest tan head. Lovely aroma of fermented grain, caramel, vanilla & oak tannins. Delicate sweetness & very flavorful: caramel, brown sugar, toasted rye grain, whiskey, some barrel flavors, finishing with some tongue numbing spiciness. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Hardly any hint of alcohol. Very enjoyable.

L: Hazy caramel, lightly carbonated.

S: Bourbon for sure. Barleywine.

T: Complex. Most of the flavor comes from the massive amount of grains, it's thick and syrupy like a barleywine, toasty from the roast, spicy from the rye, tangy on the front palate and sweeter going back, Finishes clean, breathes nicely.

F: Bourbony, very smooth, with alcoholic warming on the finish.

O: Perfect for when you want a beer and a shot.

About a year old from my cellar. My bottle says 13.2% alcohol. Looks OK in my snifter, a nice amber color. Had a good 3/4 inch head with an aggressive pour. Smell was great. Bourbon, toffee and some spice. Taste was excellent. A real smooth bourbon/toffee. Another good beer from Boulevard. This is like the 5th beer from this brewery and they've all been fantastic.