Forager Honey Rye Ale
Crosstown Brewing Co.

 

Look:
Pours a golden yellow with a one finger white head of dense foam. Leaves average lacing with low head retention. I was really expecting this to be a lot darker and more amber or brown.

Aroma:
I mostly get aromas of honeycomb and soda bread.

Taste:
I get notes of peaches and cream with bittersweet, savory honey candy. There is an herbal, almost resinous aftertaste of mild spicy hops on the finish. The rye malt flavor is subtle, blanketing the entire tasting experience with slight hints of toffee.

Feel:
Sticky and bittersweet. Slightly coarse to the tongue. Bubbly.

Overall:
Enjoyable but not really what I was expecting. Why emblazon "Rye Ale" in big letters all across the label if rye is just an afterthought in the recipe. I was thinking this was going to be darker, more assertive style rye beer but it turned out to be more of a blonde ale with a touch of rye malt added to round it out.

That doesn't make it a bad beer, but for what it is at it's core ; it's just a fairly average blonde ale with a hint of rye.

The flavor is good but at this point in my craft beer journey fairly simple blonde ales like this, no matter how good they are, just don't really do anything for me and I was really keeping my fingers crossed for a true rye beer.

Sadly this didn't impress me or the two other people I shared it with.

Light golden color with small white cap.

Aroma of sweet malt and dry rye bread.

Taste is more a sensation of sweetness rather than actual sweetness. There is a full richness to the malt flavor with a rye edge that seems both dry and spicy yet the overall effect is sweet. Brewer's website doesn't disclose any percentages of Rye or honey but both flavors are present. Hops play a small role here but the emphasis here is on honey and grain.

Medium full texture with balancing carbonation.

This is an interesting beer. It looks good, tastes good and provides something a bit different in the sea of IPAs that populate our retail shelves.