Winter Rye
Portsmouth Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got this bottle when I went to buy some KTG scratch tickets. Let's give this one a go. 22oz bottle...

A: A medium burnt orange color with a mild haziness to it. A big 1+ inch off white head that fades slowly. Very good.

S: I get hit with rye immediately on first nose. The rye is quickly married up with a hint of orange and citrus notes. Some sweet malt scents on the backend. Decent.

T: A nice sweet malt follows all the way through. Upfront is a mild hop bite with a mild rye quickly following. The citrus from the nose makes an appearance towards the back with a orange peel taste. Decent.

M: Medium body with a great carbonation. A medium dry finish. Good.

O: All in all, this is a good beer. Not amazing, but worth a try if you like rye in your beer.

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a hazy amber orange with a very thin head, that had some accumulation on the sides. A few small streams of bubbles rose from the bottom. Aroma was a sweet floral with a definite undertone of grains. Tasted slightly sweet, with a bit of spice towards the end that was a nice offset. Well balanced and didn't lean to heavily in either direction. Felt good in the mouth, coated nicely had a bit of chew. Not overly carbonated at all.

 

 

 

 

A 650 mL bomber purchased at the brewpub. Hand-written 'Winter Rye'.

A: The rye beer is a darker, brown-orange color, darker like concentrated apple juice. Still translucent, there is sediment suspended mid-glass. A half a finger of head comes with first pour and leaves a think band of lace.

S: The nose is sweet with caramel and butterscotch syrup. The aroma is a little too sweet, possibly old (even though the taste doesn't necessarily support that).

T: The ale has a sweet, syrupy constitution, but I wouldn't call it bad. The sweetness accentuates the caraway and rye flavors - darker and breadier with anise-like spices. Beyond the rye, the ale is sweet, too sweet. Come for the rye, strongest upfront. Hell, I like this better than the draught version. It is sweeter with minty notes alongside the rye.

M: The mouthfeel is confusing. It is so sweet that I want to write it off, but the rye is so pleasant that I can't. A nice rye beer.

D: I almost wish that I had picked up another bottle. The rye is strong, anisey with mint flavors. Much nicer than the tap version.

A - Pours a fairly hazy amber-red color with a nice finger of frothy off-white head. The head has pretty good retention and laces nicely.

S - Aroma is full of sweet lightly roasted malt. There is also some nice light sweet fruit aroma mixed in alongside some carmel. Also, some rye notes in the background.

T - Starts off with a building sweet fruity flavor mixed with just a touch a touch of carmel malt and rye in the background. Through the middle the carmel malt comes through a bit more and some tartness comes through also. The finish has a lot more of the carmel flavor and of the rye flavor and just a touch of hop bitterness. There is a fruity sweetness that lingers nicely afterwards.

M - Medium to medium-light bodied with medium-low carbonation. Really crisp and almost a bit syrupy. Leaves behind a bit of a syrupy feeling in the mouth.

D - Very drinkable. Very nice sweetness and the touch of tartness is really nicely balanced throughout. Very nice and crisp and refreshing.

Pours a light fizzy 1 finger head that fades semi slowly with some messy lacing over mostly clear honey nectar copper orange color.

Nose has some darker reddish copper malts, some crystal, a crisp ale aroma, some light creamy but toasty malts, with that comes some spicy and little fruity rye but not heavy, a bit of fruit, a slight bit of herbal hops, and slight almost diacetyl.

Taste starts a little creamy, with a crisp ale flavor, some fluffy carbonation as well, a bit sweet with some malty flavors, a little bit of a toasty red malt, some creamy malts, some spicy rye, a little fruity, touch of herbal hop bitterness, a bit of an earthy malt taste even, the fruit brings like an bright fruit, almost peach or tangerine. The rye gets spicier after a few sips. As it finishes the sweetness lingers with a touch of herbal hop bitterness, a bit of spicy rye, and some malts.

Mouth is a little heavier bodied and fairly creamy, with decent carbonation, little bubbles in the carbonation which is kinda weird, almost nitro but not as there is no nitro flavor, just the creaminess and little bubbles.

Drink is decent, booze comes out just a touch but normal for 7%, fairly heavy beer for drinking in the winter, a bit on the sweet side, and the rye is balanced well.

Appearance: gold/brown in color, minimal head, clear, low carbonation

Smell: citrus hops, caramel, and light rye

Taste: honey, caramel, citrus hops, then the rye kicks in at the end

Mouthfeel: medium/low carbonation, sweet start that goes bitter quick...with an extra bitter kick towards the end, medium bodied

Drinkability: I really like the way this tastes overall, but for a rye beer, I wish there was more of a rye presence. I could have two or three as long as I was not expecting a rye bomb. Nicely crafted.

Poured into a pint glass. Filled this one this afternoon at the brewery. Booyah! Nice visible carbonation in a clear amber body with a thin white head that fizzles away shortly after being poured. Thin runny lace. Mostly a fruity aroma on this one. Strawberries for me with a grainy finish to round it out and a slight malt backbone. Really grainy malt flavor. Solid stuff here. The mouthfeel is light and the carbonation lacks a little bit, but it's from a growler filled from the tap a few hours ago. Easy drinking, glad I have 64 ounces of this bad boy.

I think this is the correct entry for this, it was from a Portsmouth bomber that just said "Rye" on it. Pours clear honey gold with a large head, settled into soapy crags around the glass. Nose is Belgian yeast, sweet stone fruits, not necessarily getting any rye. A bit of a harder edge in the mouth, probably the rye, with a lot of that Belgian yeast and stone fruit, mucg light a Belgian blonde ale, or a light tripel. Fine, not bad, pretty good.