R'eye American Strong Ale
Toll Bridge Brewing

Poured from a growler into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a dark coppery amber with a two finger aged ivory head with good retention and solid lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, rye, dark dried fruit and rye spice. Flavor follows, with biscuit malt, rye bread, spicy cracked rye, grassy hops. Moderate to sturdy finishing hop bitterness. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. I'm guessing this is a variation on the "R'eye - PA" already listed here, but it is now named as an American strong ale on the brewery menu. It does have a nice amount of bitterness, but rye is story here. I'd say this was a spot-on imperial rye ale and one of the better ones I've ever had, although it's such a rare style to encounter I've not had many to compare. I deeply miss Reuben's imperial rye and glad to see another example. The rye character here is excellent, with great spiciness and clear rye grain character. There is some solid bitterness, leaning to a noble hop profile but don't know how that relates to the earlier R'eye-PA level. Well, strong ale, IPA or imperial rye, this is a flavorful and enjoyable rye beer. It is a stand-out among the other quite nice brews offered by Toll Bridge. Recommended for rye fans. Looks, smells and tastes great and has a good mouth feel as well.