Critical Darkness
Ruckus Brewing

true to style and quite good, a style i like a lot but we rarely see from american breweries, i think they did a nice job with this, and really with most of their beer menu, well ahead of that new brewery quality curve for my money. chestnut color here with a little body and a fizzy near inch of tan head on top, looks about right, maybe a little more beefy than is common, but its close. the aroma is bready, baked and cozy, sort of wintery and a bit sweet, raisin and molasses character, almost a spice cake sort of breadiness, but i get the lager yeast coming through as well, earthy and healthful to me, organic and agricultural, lots of subtle grain wrinkles to this, seems well constructed from the malt and mash standpoint. the flavor is bran-like, baked for sure, caramelized a bit with some of that grain sugar, but not to sweet, still with the lager feel, hints of things like cola and maple and tobacco, raisin type fruitiness here too, autumnal in that way. a little linger, and the lager yeast is relaxed, maybe a tad heavier overall than the ones from europe, but good in every meaningful way. great to see a style like this on their menu, among their best right now...

Taster at brewery. Dark brown pour, silky beige head, rings of lacing. Roasty aroma, burnt toast, light smoke. Taste is bitter, roasty, sweet with a nice mouth feel.