Pastrami On Rye - Pipeworks Brewing Company

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

a deep brown almost black pour with a finger of head which quickly dissipated. smells of wood barrels, mustard seed is very dominant, getting some ginger too.. odd smelling beer, not quite the pastrami scent i was expecting. the flavor is a slightly charred, but sweet, malt profile with a rye bread type flavor.. definitely getting the mustard seed again, but not as dominant as it was on the nose.. not really getting any peppercorn or coriander, but i can taste the allspice.. almost a nutmeg flavor in there. medium body, low carbonation.

well, this was an interesting one. probably filled my quota with this style. not really what i was expecting honestly i was hoping to get mostly a peppercorn flavor, since that's my favorite part of pastrami. definitely worth trying once though, but i'd put it right up there with pumpkin beers, where it's more of a novelty thing than something you'll want to drink more than one of.

if you're like me, and was hoping for a slightly spicy peppery feel, go for their saison with peppercorn, now THAT is what i was expecting from this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 07:55:40 | More by facundoCNB

GuzzLah

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Brewer's description - A strong dark ale brewed with the 11 herbs and spices traditionally used in curing pastrami: Mustard Seed, Bay Leaf, Red Pepper, Coriander, Ginger, Allspice, Clove, Caraway Seed, Tellicherry Black Peppercorn, Cinnamon & Nutmeg + Rye, Dark Candi Sugar & some Smoked Malt.

Well, this didn't remind me of a pastrami on rye sammich. It mostly had the aroma and flavor of a winter warmer. It was sweet and had a big allspice/clove note with a semi-spicy finish. A little mustard was present in the aroma. That was fun. If it was drier, smokier and had more rye, less allspice and a bit of salt, then it *might* taste closer to what the label claims. Regardless, I can't say I enjoyed this beer even if it was called Ninja's Winter Warmer.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 20:45:02 | More by GuzzLah

UCLABrewN84

California

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to GRG1313 for sharing this one at his tasting.

Batch # 61.

Pours a murky brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt and spice aromas. Taste is much the same with spice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of roasty bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with solid aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:34:21 | More by UCLABrewN84

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle from buzze40, 650ml into a tulip. Batch 55.

Deep brown with burgundy hues, brown head with light retention and no lacing. Nose of rye bread, caramel, molasses and pastrami spices. Taste is bready, sweet malts, toffee, pastrami spices, mustard seed (thanks label!) and peppercorns are present, although minimal. Medium feel, great balancing malt sweetness. Love the spicing and hella tasty. Thanks Brian!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 16:34:52 | More by liamt07

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Handwritten: Batch# 55

Brown and garnet color mix. Makes me think of the crust on some dark rye bread with some pastrami or corned beef in between the slices. Very quick tan head, only a rinf of foam for the whole 22 oz. bottle. Can't mke out any bubbling from the dark, rusty and muddy color.

Smokey and spicey aroma from start to finish. I think I can almost smell the pastrami. Black pepper, carraway, dark rye bread. I must admit that I love pickles, but I'm glad I don't smell that final addition to and awesome beer sandwich.

Syrupy palate from start to finish. The middle to finish is heavy on the carraway and mustard seed. The peppercorn maintains continuity throughout the palate. The rye is a little bit much. Especially mixed with your pastrami herbs. Smokey, even meaty, but I love that part of the flavor profile. This beer makes me think of a liquid, alcoholic, pastrami sandwich of sorts. I like it. I recommend that all BA's try this beer if they can get their hands on it.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 21:06:35 | More by scruffwhor

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, the beer was a dark brown color with reddish hues. A very slight mocha colored head was present which faded quickly to tiny bubbles. The aroma smelled a little like the inside of a good deli. The smokey smell was faint, but the beer did smell strangely like cold cuts. In the initial taste, one detects the caramelly rye, coriander, caraway, and caramelized meat. I was a little disappointed by the lack of smokiness in the taste. The texture of the beer was thick enough of allow the taste to linger. The aftertaste was caramelly with the familiar spices making an appearance. Pipeworks produced an interesting beer here, but I would not say they hit it out of the park with their interpretation of pastrami on rye. Elements of the sandwich just are not present, but this did not prevent me from enjoying the beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 12:46:23 | More by JohnnyHopps

cosmicevan

New York

3.99/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

this was a must try for me as i have a weakness in my soul for a pastrami sandwhich. bottle picked up in chi-town a week or two ago. enjoyed from my pipeworks snifter.

a - pours brown with maroon highlights when held to the light. thin greyish cream colored head that was gone quick leaving an oil slick of bubbles and a ring of head around the surface.

s - wow. very unique. lots of spicing on a seemingly fruity base. all spice, corriander, candied sugar, rye. pleasing but not like the pastrami sandwich off the grill though.

t - yowza. i thought the nose had a lot going on, well i was mistaken, the flavor is nutty. it is like a sweet brown ale with some fruit, rye, all spice and other pot pouri spicing and a dash of smoke. it is a tad reminiscent of a pastrami sandwich, but i doubt i'd make that jump if it wasn't called what it is called.

m - zesty. medium bodied with a ton going on. seems too much is going on in this one.

o - overall, extremely interesting and different. reminds me somewhat of burly gourd with all that zip and zest. i like this, but i can see many people not digging this one. if nothing else, this was one of the more crucial ticks for me considering my obsession with pastrami sandwiches. cheers to pipeworks for doing something really out there.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 03:57:27 | More by cosmicevan

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.86/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I picked this up at a Binny's in Chicago.

Batch #55

Served in a Delirium Tremens glass.

A: Much, much darker than I was expecting. Dark, dark brown, fairly consistent in its color distribution, with a cool mocha head on top.

S: Not as potent as I was thinking it would be. I got brown sugar and some roast. So far, it's not the rye bread, meat sandwich I thought it would be.

T: Tasted like a brown ale with a twist. Nice flavor, actually. I definitely identified the caraway and corriander. As far as reminding me of a pastrami sandwich, it definitely did not do that.

M: Thick, much thicker than I was expecting actually. Sticky, sticky, with a nice bitter fennel quality. The lacing was a nice screen of goo.

O: This totally didn't scream pastrami sandwich to mean, but it was still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 01:22:59 | More by Chaney

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip)
Batch 50
A- This beer has a dense walnut brown body with a thin tan head that fades to a ring of tiny bubbles.

S- The cloth band aid aroma fills the nose and some dry slightly fruity spices grow after that. There is all spice and others are well blended and take on an old men’s cologne quality.

T- The nougat flavor has some mellow brewer’s licorice and caraway seed flavor. There is some deep toasted malt flavors that are buried underneath and as the beer opens there is a milk stout flavor that comes to the top. There are also some candy ester flavors that stay dry but lead to a cloth band aid finish that grow in the finish. There is a lingering herbal hop spice flavor.

M- This beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a slippery texture and no alcohol heat noticed.

O- I’m not going to lie, I pulled this beer out of the DBF a few times only to put it back for fear of the train wreck that might be inside? It was a very interesting and odd beer but I’m glad I tried it and it was very interesting to see how all the flavors came together. The smoke was ok and with the Belgian yeast esters and spices flavors it was a lot of things all going on at once.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 17:17:03 | More by rhoadsrage

MasterSki

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at Julie's place for Christmas Day dinner. Served in a wine glass.

A - White foam settles to a thin collar, a few wisps, and a few specks of lace. Dark brown body with some lighter chestnut highlights at the edges of the glass.

S - Interesting mix of spices and rye. A hefty dose of coriander and caraway, as well as a hint of allspice. Perhaps a touch of alcohol in there; I didn't realize how high the ABV was when I popped this, but it's definitely an 'Imperial' pastrami beer.

T - The taste is a mix of caramel, chocolate, and rye, with more of the malt character coming out. The spices show up in the finish, but don't dominate like they do in the aroma. Evocative of rye bread I suppose, although I don't eat enough pastrami to know how successful this beer was in that regard.

M - Chewy texture that finishes a bit dry from the rye malt. Medium body, with moderate-to-low carbonation. Alcohol is better concealed here, as this goes down pretty smooth even with the higher ABV.

D - Not really my thing. It largely achieves what it sets out to do; I'm just not convinced I needed a beer of this ilk in my life. I could have stood for a touch more smoked malt personally, and I'd rather have 3 Floyds' Ham on Rye went it comes to sandwich-themed beers. If you dig pastrami, give this a shot but otherwise tread carefully.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 20:49:54 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2013: Batch #61. Re-visiting this after telling the brewer I would. Objectively it's a nice beer, if it was handed to me with no false pastrami expectations on my part, i'd have nothing to say. It's an enjoyable spiced beer (think WInter Warmer) that hits the right notes in cold weather, post-holidays. Toasty malt and dry herbs in the aftertaste, unsweetened dark chocolate and juniper. If you like spiced beers, this is your huckleberry.

12-08-2012
Gave this beer a week per the brewer's personal recommendation, in order for the spices to settle out. Served in a large mug, it has a fingers width of tan foam on the surface. Dark brown body. Initial aroma of bubblegum... huh. Later some chocolate sweetness emerges, and a hint of spice, though not especially well defined. Ideally should be served above 50º, per the brewer.

First sips bring malty sweetness, chocolate, some black pepper and mustard seed tingling bitterness, ghostly ancho impression and a wisp of smoke in the end. It has a substantial feel, as if a BSDA and Rauchbier collided on some faraway planet. Dark chocolate bitterness in the aftertaste, a slight notion of coffee. Chewy, smooth feel with lower carbonation. Touch of alcohol surfaces as it warms. A little more caraway and smoked malt would've gone a long way here. It's a bit sweeter and less savory than expected, though the spicing does lend a mild savory element.

Objectively it's a good beer, I enjoyed drinking it and will pick it up again. If it wasn't billed as a tribute to a pastrami sandwich, I wouldn't have to say it failed at doing so. But since it is, as a pastrami lover i'd have to say it's not exactly an approximation of pastrami in liquid form... the tribute seems to be a very loose one. Oh well, maybe that's for the better. Recommended for fans of spiced Belgians and BSDAs.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 01:52:56 | More by emerge077

kevanb

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle poured into a Half Acre 12oz glass.

This particular beer is an ode to the famous Pastrami on Rye sandwich found at many deli's across the country, which is a personal favorite of mine, so suffice it to say I was very excited to try this, but still somewhat skeptical of what the final result may end up being. The beer pours a deep burgundy color, hues of bright garnet and ruby red when struck by the light, quite opaque but a bit of light does pierce through. A tan colored head rises atop the beer, about a finger high, recedes quickly leaving behind a touch of film atop the glass and no lacing. The aroma is very spice laden as to be expected, the mustard seed and peppercorn really shine here with a touch of carraway and rich smoked malt but unfortunately there is a dominant alcohol presence that detracts a bit from the experience. The flavors are a bit more complex and intriguing, lots of mustard seed and peppercorn up front, rich smokey malt, almost like a porter, faint carraway with just enough smooth sweeter dark grain flavors to counter the zestier and spice heavy flavors, really does a great job of keeping them in check. Alcohol is faintly present, but not nearly as potent as in the nose. The body is good, carbonation is on the lower end of the medium spectrum and has a nice smoothness to it on the tongue, however, the finish is a bit weak and thin.

Verdict: Certainly a bizarre concept and an intriguing final product but one that is well executed. The flavors are really well balanced and the spices are kept in check by a nice smokiness and sweet grain profile. While certainly not your every day beer, this was a fun one to try.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:25:08 | More by kevanb

Treebs

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle served in a Brasserie d'Achouffe tulip. Batch # 55

A: Pours a dark ruby color with deeper sienna highlights in the body. A light khaki heads forms on the pour and recedes to a thin film and ring.

S: Big peppercorn presence up front with a little rye. Bready malts and a little mesquite. A little cinnamon stick as well.

T: Rye bread and peppercorn upfront. Rich malt backbone with a touch of smoke. The finish actually has a little peppery spice to it. Minimal dark fruit character, like roasted figs. Slight cinnamon comes out as it warms. The alcohol is nicely hidden.

M: Medium bodied with a little chew to it. Medium carbonation levels with a smokey finish.

O: I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. I was expecting much more spice, but the subtle spice with the emphasis on the peppercorns and rye definitely worked. It drinks really well for 8.50% as well. Would recommend.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 18:54:29 | More by Treebs

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre tulip.

A- pours a dark brown with 1 finger light beige head. Big waves and leopard spotting of lacing.

S- big cinnamon, peppers, light chocolate, and some nutmeg.

T- sweet roasted malts, cinnamon and peppers, nutmeg, and a slight bitter, smoke finish.

M- medium body and carbonation. Very smooth and creamy with some slickness.

O- very interesting and tasty beer. I actually expected it to be a lot weirder than it was.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:43:56 | More by kawilliams81

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

I may not be the biggest fan of deli meats and the sammiches made therefrom, but a beer based thereupon is like catnip to a beer fan and ticker like myself. Get some! This stuff pours a deep ruby-sienna topped by a finger of tan foam. The nose comprises toasted rye bread, black pepper, mild mesquite smoke, and light allspice. The taste brings in more of the same, along with some sweet molasses, mild fig, and a bit of peppery heat in the background. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a mildly slick feel. Overall, I'm conflicted about this beer: I generally like it, but I'm disappointed in the lack of pastrami-on-rye-ness. The spicing sounds like it would be a spice bomb of the sort that mimics a spice rack falling into the mash tun or something, but I could mainly only go with the pepper and the allspice (of all things, the allspice...). The smoke is mild, the rye malt doesn't assert itself as much as it could, and the dill is pretty much nonexistent. Moreover, the sweetness, which is already unexpected, reigns pretty supremely in the grand scheme of things. But, again, it's not a bad beer by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not a Short's-style flavored beer. It's just an imaginative, tasty beer. Good times.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 04:31:22 | More by TMoney2591