Plum Rye Bock
Short's Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a dingy copper color, very opaque and very hazy, impossible to see anything on the other side. Dark beige-colored head, thick and fluffy - this beer was very volatile, even with a modest pour. Musty plum sweetness on the nose, some funk and some crisp tartness, slight herbal notes; some malt and spice also in the background. Not really getting any rye in the aroma. The taste is actually nothing what I expected from the aroma - very, very sweet taste up front. Huge abundance of plums and grapes, the sweetness turns into a sharp tartness for a moment, almost puckering. The carbonation peaks at the same time, giving one hell of a mouth shock midway through. Apple skins and phenol comes to mind as well. The rye doesn't get picked up until about three-quarters of the way through and even more so when the beer warms up a bit. The aftertaste is like stale rye bread and yeast - this beer is malty all the way. Very light perfume-like florals can be picked up but play tertiary to the malt and rye. Medium body, crisp with lots of carbonation. Beer almost floats away on your palate.

I didn't know what to expect with this one, but my expectations weren't very high. Maybe that's why I liked it so much? I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. Delicious fruit beer (and I don't normally like fruity stuff), fruit tastes authentic and sweet and it isn't cloying or sickeningly sweet. I'd have this one over and over again.

 

Review from notes, sampled spring 2011
Pours a clear golden brown color with a good sized white ehad that persists for a while. The nose is sweet with caramel and burnt sugars offset with a tartness that I suspect comes from the rye as well as a tart dark fruit that should be from the plums. The flavor is rich and sweet like you'd expect from a bock, but there is a tart edge that makes this just a bit different. Spicy malts and tart dark fruits compete heavily with the clean malty richness of a bock. Medium body with a hint too much carbonation and a sweet tart kind of mouthfeel going on. Kudos to Short's for always pushing the boundaries, but this one doesn't work for me. I kept wanting this to be a clean bock, but that fruity tartness always jumped in.