Rachel
Silver Lake Brewing Project

Pours rich chocolate brown with a thick dense foamy chestnut brown head. Dense lace coats a Hofbrau Haus lidded stein.

Rich malts pour out with bittersweet chocolate and black coffee. Warmth reveals currants, while charcoal ash is a constant.

Flavor opens with strong roasted bitterness and equal parts hop bitterness. Sweetness is somewhat less and fades to leave hoppy bitterness late into a long finish. Black coffee dominates against mild chocolate followed by prune. The finish reveals ash and leather.

A velvety texture and medium body. Carbonation is prickly while alcohol is less than expected. This is a chewy beer.

While less deep and complex than expected of the style, Rachel is filled with flavor. This is a good beer for conversation, but I enjoyed it on a cool 4th of July amidst a calm quietness.

On a related note, the tasting room and brew house are a very much appreciated addition to the small, recovering town of Perry, NY. Definitely worthy of a trip out from Buffalo or Rochester.