Chardonnay Barrel Aged Apricot Rye Ale - Iron Springs Pub & Brewery

elNopalero

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

This is Iron Springs’s Chardonnay barrel-aged apricot rye beer. I believe they call it Chad. I call it… delicious.

I am assuming that the base beer is or is very similar to Iron Spring’s Chazz Cat Rye.

It pours a light golden color with nice foaming. A bit tart and crisp, with an almost fruity aroma. I get notes of grapes and apricots coming across along with a dry finish. The rye spice is still present but the barrel-aging has changed this into a different beer, one with as much distinct characteristics of a dry chardonnay, owing to the barrel, as from the apricot character. Spicy, fruity, dry and tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2013 07:06:49 | More by elNopalero

scottfrie

California

3.55/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2012 French oak chardonnay barrel-aged Chazz Cat Rye with apricots.

Bottle into snifter, thanks for sharing Mike.

A: Pours a bright apricot color with a thin short lived light tan head.
S: Apricots and vinous dry white wine oak barrel dominate all the way. Not picking up a ton of rye.
T: More rye than the nose, but chardonnay and oak mixed with lightly sweet apricots dominate again. The rye is spicy and mostly comes through in the finish and aftertaste.
M: Medium body, slick mouthfeel with a medicinal quality. Carbonation is fizzy.
O: The chardonnay and apricot work really well together but the rye is the odd flavor out. I liked it, but I may have picked a different base beer other than rye to give this treatment too. Thanks again, Mike.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 01:09:40 | More by scottfrie