Bird’s Eye Rye
Flying Dog Brewery

Welcome back to Happy New This Year & Beer Are Flying Outta Here On Sunday, Dog (Week 723)! I am so glad that you could join me for this madness.

From the Bottle: "Face to face, out in the heat. Hanging tough, staying hungry. They stack the odds, still we take to the streets. For the kill with the skill to survive."

I was SOOO elated to find this on the Singles shelf during a recent visit to The Beer & Beverage Shoppe! I love Flying Dog & I try to drink as many of their beers as possible.

I Pop!ped the cap & went with a heavy-handed, aggro C-Line pour, but I didn't get much in the way of head from my efforts. It briefly fizzed & foamed to form a brief finger of light-tan head, but it quickly reverted to wisps. Color was a surprising Brown to Dark Brown (SRM = > 22, < 27) with NE-quality clarity & mahogany highlights. Gorgeous! Nose had the distinctive peppery mintiness of Rye, but with a layer of heat to accompany it. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery per se, but not far beyond it. I was allowing it to warm in my mouth & on my tongue when the heat suddenly kicked in! It went from a cool, dry, minty flavor to a prickly heat in mere seconds! Upon swallowing, I could trace the length of my esophagus from my gullet to my tummy. Phew! Play with Heat & you might get burned. It's designation as a Chile Beer makes it an easy review - it just needs to have some Chile flavor. I know that I am a bit of a wimp, especially as compared to my brother, but this was fairly hot. I really liked that they chose a Rye Beer as its base since it added another dimension to it. Finish was dry and spicy & while one was plenty, it was quite a pleasant addition to the day.

This beer pours clear dark brown with an average head. The aroma starts with a piquant pepper flesh aroma and a bit of spice, as well as some pine, and a bit of sweet bread and chocolate malt. The flavor starts with a strong vegetal pepper note, then a solid dose of heat, along with moderate to strong bitterness mid palate with a sort of muddy pine and melon rind quality, and finally chocolate truffle on the finish. The mouthfeel is fairly light in body with average carbonation and tingly heat. Overall a fun and unusual beer, but a bit muddy and undefined in flavor.

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 8/9/2018. Pours crystal clear deep ruby red/brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of grapefruit, orange, chili pepper, caramel, brown sugar, spicy rye, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, roast, herbal, grass, and toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of chili peppers, citrus/earthy hops, and dark/bready/rye malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big grapefruit, orange, chili pepper, caramel, brown sugar, spicy rye, brown bread, and toasted biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, roast, herbal, grass, and toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy bitterness and pepper/rye spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of grapefruit, orange, chili pepper, caramel, brown sugar, spicy rye, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light nutty/roast, herbal, grass, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of chili peppers, citrus/earthy hops, and dark/bready/rye malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance; and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Lightly increasing pepper heat after the finish, with no warming alcohol. Overall this is a delicious chili spiced brown ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of chili peppers, citrus/earthy hops, and dark/bready/rye malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Impressively rich malts and balanced peppers/hop flavors. Nothing overwhelming at all. A very enjoyable offering, and well made style example.