Rye-on-Rye - Boulevard Brewing Co.

Anonymousmark

2.55/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

This is definitely a niche market beer. It came highly recommended by the shop owner and I was attracted by the high ABV and the whiskey barrel aging process. Obviously, it is not chugging beer. It is brewed to enjoy slowly in an easy chair along with good company and stimulating conversation. I have to say though, that I didn't enjoy it as I though I would. I can't blame the beer... it was exactly as advertised. But as it turned out, I just didn't like the blended tastes. In the future, when I want rye whiskey I will drink rye whiskey and when I crave a brew, I will have a beer. With that said, its a distinctive and unique tasting beer that is worth a try by true beer aficionados.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 17:14:44 | More by Anonymousmark

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.58/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Thanks to DiabolikDUB for this bottle.

A: Pours a dark brown with some caramel notes and an off-white head.

S: Some bourbon and a bit of spice. Something is a bit off, but I can't pick out what it is.

T: Bourbon, rye, and maybe a bit of cardboard; at the same time, it doesn't taste like there's anything particularly wrong with it. Don't think it was a brewing/packaging issues; there's just something my palate doesn't agree with.

M: Dry and a bit hot.

D: Something just not right all around here. Usually a fan of Boulevard's bigger beers, but can't get into this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2010 02:04:20 | More by Thorpe429

jjanega08

Minnesota

2.78/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A= pours a hazy brown color. pretty much straight brown. A little amber maybe but easily the most brown colored beer I've ever had. The head is a beautiful two fingers holding excellent retention and lacing. The head is a nice off white color.

S= Initially I smell a lot of spicy Belgian yeast to it. Sort of the green apple spice thing and pear going on. There is a strong alcohol presence in the smell as well as a little whiskey. There is a little bit of rye in it but not as much as I expected.

T= This is unique for sure. Again I get a nice Belgian yeast spice to it up front with some green apple pear flavors. Then that washes away and I get some rye. I think rye is a delicate malt and prolly shouldn't be imperialized. This is really light on the rye flavor. The major flavor is whiskey I would say. There is a little oakyness and wood to it but not much. All is sort of shadowed by the alcohol heat. Interesting but not the best rye beer I've had by far.

M= A little high in carbonation and prickly tingly bubbles. Somewhat thin.

D= This is a different beer for sure but a little too boozy and not nearly rye- ey enough. The rye is not very pronounced. An underwhelming beer indeed.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 04:08:31 | More by jjanega08

ChadQuest

Illinois

3/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Drinking this one solo tonight.

I pour straight in so its got a head on it that then fades out leaves a bit of lacing but not a lot. nice sunburst color.
The aroma is a heavy dry rye note, a light white pepper and just dry.
The flavors have that spicy note you expect from a rye beer. It is the kind of spice that when implied "rye" people will like and when implied "chili" people will not like, really on the border.
There is some alcohol that pokes through because of the dryness of this one, and makes it a bit smokey, and light notes of vanilla bringing in some sweetness.
Mouthfeel is quick to fade due to the dryness.

I am indifferent to this one, going to drink the whole 750ml, but its just average. i guess i like the rye, but could go for more alcohol heat,whiskey, and maybe a little less dry, but i am strange.

Love, Chad

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 04:52:52 | More by ChadQuest

bashiba

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev -28.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a hazy light brown, thin ring of white head, no retention.

The smell is malty and a bit spicy and a little alcohol.

The flavor is sweet with a bit of woody whiskey flavor, big alcohol heat and a strange off tartness, a bit harsh as well.

The mouthfeel has a bit of thickness and heat.

Not enjoying this at all, a big mess.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 04:07:53 | More by bashiba

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -28.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I bought this in Peoria before Christmas, now opening it on a Friday night in March. It pours dark, an amber copper color, a little bit of haze and a thick off-white head with each pour. Like 8 fingers of foam, but it subsided pretty quickly.

The aroma is both good and bad, I liked the rye but didn't like the medicinal notes. Cough syrup is rarely a positive feature in a beer, and this beer unfortunately embraced it. It smells a bit alcoholic too, surely due to barrel treatment.

It tastes about as expected from aroma, strong spiciness from the rye, heavy whiskey barrel notes, and light medicinal badness throughout.

Heavy stuff, not entirely appreciated by me, probably my least favorite from the smokestack series.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2011 20:19:52 | More by TurdFurgison

Pahn

New York

3.3/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle into Duvel tulip. 2012 vintage, bottle #16,947.

Appearance: Steady pour yields a 2 inch fluffy bonewhite head that dissipates slowly and leaves no lacing. Pours a semi-translucent dark ruby and leaves spots of lacing and liquor-like legs (alliteration).

Smell: Oaky whiskey with cola like effervescence. Some faintly citrusy hop aroma and sweet malty tang. Pretty boozy.

With warmth, all other aroma besides rubbing alcohol is obliterated. It was fun while it lasted, oak / cola / hops.

Taste: Up front, mild oaky vanilla, whiskey, and prune, with a long oaky finish. Finish is interesting... it's dry and light in feel, but heavy on the oak notes (usually experience those with sticky, full feels).

Each sip is sort of prune-y up front with orange/lime hop flavor, segueing to assertive American oak and booze. Doesn't really mix too well... they don't clash, per se, but the dark fruit esters combined with the vanilla oak kind of remind me of cheap whiskey.

Actually, this tastes like putting some Jack Daniels into virgin American oak barrels and aging it for 5 years (then lightly dry hopping it). Plus some placebo-strength malted rye influence.

It's not a bad flavor at all, but it has more perceived alcohol heat than Dogfish Head World Wide Stout or any other ridiculously high ABV beer, but without any of the deep malty complexity. Hard to really find the point of this beer, but it tastes alright.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and light. Not quite creamy. Dry finish. Memorably good mouthfeel.

Overall: The thing is, *I'd like* drinking cheap whiskey aged in virgin American oak barrels for a few years. I'm not very impressed with the beer, but I'll enjoy finishing this bottle over the course of a few hours.

At $14 for a 750ml bottle of barrel aged beer, it's not a terrible value, but I think your money would be better spent on any of the numerous superior barrel aged beers on the market today. I wouldn't buy this again, but I'd happily accept it as a gift.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:37:47 | More by Pahn

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A big thanks to cploking for coming through with this beer. Poured from a brown 25.4 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy crimson color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of whiskey, a bit of oak. Taste is strong of whiskey and alcohol, a faint rye presence, a bit of oak. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall if you are into whiskey barrel beers, this would be in your wheelhouse. For me it was just a bit overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 20:53:49 | More by tone77

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.38/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a bottle from 99 Bottles Federal Way, WA

A: Poured a orangish amber color with good carbonation and big fluffy dirty white head

S: Rye, booze, wood, vanilla

T: Starts out boozy, midway through its boozy with some rye and finishes boozy with less rye with a little vanilla

M: Seems thin, boozy, throwing off CO2, unappealing and tough to drink minus the excess booze feel, thin body and flat tastes

D: While not terrible it got a B out of sheer generosity. Avoid. This beer is way overpriced and spend the $13 elsewhere!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 02:57:34 | More by barleywinefiend

Auracom

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Next to BBQ, this is the most excited I've been to try something from Boulevard. Bomber purchased as MSCM and poured into a Hunahpu's snifter on April 19th, 2012.

A - Murky brown coloring with ruby hues. One-finger, light tan head. Retention amount to a frothy film. Really good lacing.

S - Plentiful rye spices, figs, banana, and raisin bread. The barrel notes play second fiddle, with hints of oak and rye whiskey blended with further toffee. The base aroma here seems inherently Quad-like.

T - Strong raisin and date bitterness morphs into a rear palate of deep caramel and whiskey barrel flavors. Not particularly complex, rather mellow presentation. No alcohol presence throughout.

M - Medium body, very smooth. Velvety-light carbonation, adequate for pushing darker notes through. Touch of alcohol warming.

D - I definitely prefer the nose here. The front end of the drink is particularly weak and I'd prefer a bit more barrel presence overall, particularly some sweetness to balance everything else. Worth a visit but don't expect an overwhelming success.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 16:47:46 | More by Auracom

SFLpunk

Vermont

3.45/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to forgetfu for this one!

750mL brown glass cork & caged bottle. Bottle number 5678 of 12148.

Pours a ruddy/muddy brown with some amber hues and very little off-white head.

Nose is heavily whiskey influenced with that spicy rye vanilla/white pepper note. A little toffee and mocha too.

Palate is boo-wait for it- zey! At first it tastes like someone poured a shot of straight rye in a barley wine. A little thin on the body. Orange zest, vanilla beans, toffee, a little oily, a little sharp from the alcohol content, finish is a little "green" (vegetal). Finish is almost clean, but there's gripping spiciness from the whiskey and oak tannins.

Notes: Perhaps the best of the 3 Rye on Rye beers I've had (this one, Smuttynose Ry(e)an, and Lenny Bruce RIPA on Rye). The whiskey influence is good, but I'm starting thing that you cannot successfully integrate rye whiskey into a rye-based ale. Just doesn't meld well. Glad to have tried it though.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2010 03:25:41 | More by SFLpunk

Barrelista

California

3.45/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Rum and caramel at the core with a pop of early Rainier cherry.

Foam is frosting-thick on initial pour. Carbonation is low and delicate enough to encourages the beer's sweetness, as if this beer shares a parent with cava.

Full, heavy mouthfeel. Lung-filling on first whiff. Hued a color reserved for sugar at around 315 degrees Farenheit.

Wonderful. A winner.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 02:54:05 | More by Barrelista

Tone

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, dark amber color. One inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and poor lacing. Smells of whiskey, alcohol, wood, sweet malt, and slight hops. Fits the style of rye beer. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of whiskey, alcohol, wood, hint of hops, and hint of dark citrus. Overall, very strong whiskey/wood flavors.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 18:42:13 | More by Tone

lnashsig

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer number 4 of the Astros #brewandbaseball challenge! I'm behind but doing my best to catch up. Poured from bottle into CBS Snifter. Pours a nearly transparent dark amber color, some decent head retention, which is surprising given the ABV and Barrel aging. A creamy looking texture to this beer. Smell- booze, molasses, some spicy bready notes from the rye. Woody barrel notes, some vanilla. Alcohol is obvious. This will be a really boozy bastard. Taste- the booze is puckering. its pretty much all I am getting at the front of the tongue, resembles straight rye whiskey. Some nice woody notes and vanilla linger around the sides of my mouth, but I struggle to get a lot of depth and complexity to this one. After the booze, it seems that the flavors are a little muddled. Nothing stands out, but this is a beer that will have to develop in order to be worthy. I'll review again after a year and see what comes of it, but would not recommend to drink it fresh. Not a great experience, not a horrible one.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 00:25:36 | More by lnashsig

tewaris

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had heard a lot of praise for this beer and never had a chance to actually try it so I was very glad to find it on tap at Stub's. Served in a 10 oz wide mouthed glass.

Pours dark mahogany with a creamy tan head. Great lacing as the glass empties. The aroma is not nearly as potent as I was expecting. Smooth malts and some barrels, maybe. Ample hops in the taste but gels well with the overall profile of the beer. Warms one up as it goes down.

Frankly I was confused for a while about the beer I actually got but soon enough the rye comes forth... maybe the only element that keeps the bitterness in check on a warm beer. I started to like it finally and it is certainly a well made beer. But I didn't really enjoy it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 05:35:53 | More by tewaris

SawDog505

New Hampshire

3.53/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a 13 oz tulip. Pours a reddish brown with a creamy off white head, very little lacing. Smell is vanilla, Oak, Bourbon, carmel, and leather. Taste is all of those things, vanilla and bourbon dominate, pretty mild considering what it is. Body is a little thin, plenty of carbonation, not overly dry, and very easy drinking. This solid not really familiar with the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 19:22:43 | More by SawDog505

vkv822

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750ml : tulip snifter

Pours an amber red with a thick, foamy off white head.

The aroma is primarily of rye and vanilla, booze-soaked oak.

Strong vanilla-oak notes blended with boozy rye notes.

Medium-full body.

A good beer, though the boozy, oak is a bit much at times.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 09:16:34 | More by vkv822

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a nice cinnamon stick brown color with some nice head, decent lacing. Smell is big on the whiskey with some nice spicy rye notes in there too. Taste follows, but with some big buttery vanilla notes. A bit of piney hops, but just a tad, some spicy malt, wood, and more vanilla. Oddly, this all seems a bit muted to me. The flavors just don't 'pop' like I want them to. Also, as the beer goes on this becomes more pronounced. Medium to full body with some nice creaminess, decent carbonation to keep it going. Drinkability is pretty good, but as the beer goes along it kind of loses its power, an odd experience. I was happy to try this. This might be an unfair comparison, but given the option to spend $13 on this or a 4-pack of Backwoods Bastard, I'd go with the Backwoods. Nevertheless, good stuff, just not necessarily all there for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 06:32:30 | More by LordAdmNelson

codewarrior

New York

3.58/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

750mL Cork and Caged Bomber Poured into a Snifter

Bottle 5790 of 12148, from Batch 2010-1

Finally got around to pouring this bottle at my visiting friend's request. Have been looking forward to this guy, as I love pretty much everything that comes out of Boulevard.

L: Rusty brown with at least 8-fingers of foamy-cream-pillow head, globs of head clinging to the glass. A touch muddy, in a good way.

S: Sweet, sweet with tangy sour notes ... little touches of whiskey in the back.

T: Starts off sweet, touch of sour, and then a wall of booze. Fades into booziness, lots of booziness. Touch thin and a touch overwhelming in the booze-factor. Whisky in the back is wonderfully balanced.

F: Thin and oddly a touch under-carbonated for how much head there was in the preview.

D: Better as you go and surprisingly drinkable at 11%.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 04:19:08 | More by codewarrior

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Happy to see this beer show up around here. Batch 2012-1, bottle 13195.

Pours into a tulip a murky reddish brown. Beige head sticks around pretty decently as a cap, some lace.

Lots of sweet fruity malts, caramel, spice, bourbon is mellow at first but grows with warmth.

Lots of dark fruit, spicy rye malt, caramel, bourbon+oak are somewhat mellow but definitely grow with warmth like the scent. Has a slight tart twang to it, reminds me of their BBQ a bit, I wonder if they used the same barrels. Light hoppage and vanilla show through.

Smooth. Full-bodied, carbonation at a good level, grows to be quite warming and boozy but not really a deterrent.

I like the flavorful and mellow bourbon but the base beer doesn't seem to bring much to the table. Still it definitely pulls of a nice unique combo of a rye beer/rye whiskey, it's enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 16:01:31 | More by Chico1985

jsh420

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

bottle #10618 of 12148
batch 2010-1 1/13

broke out my blvd smokestack glass for this one

pours copper bronze with a big 2+ finger head that had good retention and covered the glass with lacing

smells of belgian yeast and tangy rye malt

taste - rye on rye is a good name for this one - but the charred oak barells are so much that the flavor they give off is of baking soda which makes me give it lower marks

mouthfeel - is medium body with good carbonation that works well

drinkability is ok even @ 11%abv - my only true beef with this beer is the baking soda flavors

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2010 05:05:42 | More by jsh420

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared at FosterJM's birthday celebration courtesy of FosterJM.

2012 vintage. Bottle # 22706.

Pours a slightly hazy brown with a a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, dark fruit, whisky, and wood. Taste is of malt, dark fruits, slight rye, and a woody whisky kick on the finish. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but I think this one smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 21:42:40 | More by UCLABrewN84

acelin

Kansas

3.68/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a smokestack bottle into a pint glass. Poured a deep burgundy-ruddy brown color with a large cream-tan head that was filled with may large bubbles. A very carbonated beer, especially being so fresh from conditioning.

Smell is of belgian yeast? with dried figs and raisins, with a slight hoppy woody character.

Taste is dominantly raisins. Nothing else particularly, with the small hint of bitter citrus hop and aged wood. Must try again when this has aged longer.

Mouthfeel is good, drinkability is ok.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2010 20:27:57 | More by acelin

maximum12

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a bottle of this at Cork & Barrel recently, have been waiting for this one to hit Minnesota eagerly. Popping it open quickly to find out if it's good enough that I need to secure another bottle (or two) before it's gone from the shelves.

Beautiful beer. By some bent of magic, the beer is a dirty, earthly red around the edges, while maintaining a dark brown, light-repulsing core. The smell is virtually indescribable. Good, but faint. I'm not going to try.

Rye-on-Rye is an eye-opening concoction. The rye whiskey & the rye malts pair up for a wry experience that is unparalled, yet. The whiskey is mildly strong, with a very nice vanilla note, undercut by a mouthful of rye spices. An almost Belgian, candied follow-through lends sweetness & lightness to the brew & keeps the rye from doing a Chuck Norris on me tongue. Faint hop bitterness of no particular line rounds out the show.

I'm having a trouble getting a handle on exactly what's going down in my glass, but I do know that I'm enjoying it. Carbonation is a bit much for a brew of this size, & distracts a mite. Glad to have split this with my wife, it's good, but...man, this is one strange beer. I may have to have another bottle just to figure out if I really like this or not.

Very good. Very unique. Love the rye overload.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 02:11:53 | More by maximum12

Kinsman

New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark ruby/light brown color with a nice creamy tan head on top. Rich woody aromas dominate the aroma with light hints of alcohol in the background. Malt notes seem to be hidden by the barrel notes.

Barrel notes aren't quite as overpowering on the palate as they were in the aroma. Nice rye kick before the sweet vanilla and oak flavors come through. A bit of a fruity and caramel sweetness mixes in well. Finishes with a bit of heat from the alcohol.

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and certainly full bodied. Overall, a bold and tasty treat with a nice deviation from the usual bourbon-stout combo.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 00:25:46 | More by Kinsman