Hi-Fi Rye - Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

amber color with a thick head of white that while staying low to the surface, certainly had some nice staying power.

Feel is like syrup, just thick, and really filling. Loads of hops jumping right out at me, even with a little age on it. Fresh pine, hints of candied sugar, an almost medicinal like quality at times peaks its head up. Still though all very, very nice. Rich flavor here, candied sugar, notes of hops and rich grassy, herbal qualities. For as strong as this one was it really kept the ABV very, very nicely hidden. Sipping an hour later I was amazed at just how well rounded this one really was.

Overall just a super solid and very well put together Bwine.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 02:18:14 | More by mikesgroove

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber of this one from claaark13. Really happy to get a shot at this beer, and stoked to get to try the regular and b.1 BA version as well. Cheers for the beers man!

From a bomber into a snifter
Brewed with caraway seeds. My favorite seed.

APPEARANCE: Pours out viscous and yields a one finger, thicker looking, fluffy, off-white head with great retention. Hazy mahogany orange in color with medium levels of carbonation evident. Head fades to a full cap. A splotchy wisp remains and leaves some good lacing down the glass. Really nice looking.

SMELL: Bold nose with caramel, toffee, some red fuits, spicy rye and alcohol. Still some nice citrus hop aromas on top fo the toffee and butterscotch base. Really nice, but not quite as bold as the flavors.

TASTE: Excellent stuff. Caramel, toffee, butterscotch and red fruit sweetness up front, with some spicy rye malts and alcohol at the swallow. Medium but lingering aftertaste is bitter-sweet, with light citrus notes complimenting the malt sweetness and spicy rye malts and alcohol. Lots of nice toffee, butterscotch, sweet red fruits and hop bitterness linger on the palate. Really nice.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Very creamy smooth on the palate, goes down silky smooth and finishes lightly mouth-coating. Velvety smooth and creamy on the palate, with enough weight to support the flavors. Very good.

OVERALL: This is excellent. I wish I could have had this fresh as the citrus hop notes might have been more prevalent, but regardless, as it is now, this is a complex, smooth and very enjoyable barleywine. Very well balanced with a wonderful feel. One of the better beers I've had in a while. Cheers claaark for hooking me up with this one!

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 12:18:15 | More by Jeffo

cfrances33

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.1%

04-30-2013 20:06:12 | More by cfrances33

Etan

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

04-28-2013 04:43:14 | More by Etan

jreindl

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

04-20-2013 05:52:47 | More by jreindl

Sparky44

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.1%

03-23-2013 21:36:31 | More by Sparky44

oline73

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

03-16-2013 06:57:13 | More by oline73

jegross2

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

Reviewing the Hi-Fi Rye (Batch 1) from Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery out of Flossmoor, Illinois. This is the base beer of the Batch 1 Barrel Aged Hi-Fi Rye.

Score: 60

Batch 1 bottle served in a plastic taster cup and enjoyed on 07/28/12. Review is from iPhone notes I jotted down at my birthday bottle share.

Appearance: Pours a much more “cloudy” caramel color than either of the barrel-aged vintages. A lot more ruby transparencies are apparent. Pours a thin bubble tan layer than settles to a ring around the glass. Below average lacing, average retention. 3.5/5

Smell: Fruity sweet caramel malt and not much else. Faint brown sugar notes. It’s shocking how one-dimensional this beer is considering how complex the barrel-aged version of this vintage was. 3/5

Taste: Sweet and malty caramel water with some faint fruitiness. That’s it. No rye flavor, no dark fruit, no hoppiness. This beer has totally fallen off. Not undrinkable, but so is 312 – why bother? 2/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Sweet and malty. 2.5/5

Overall: I cannot attest for the beer fresh, but the original non-barrel aged vintage has completely fallen off. I recommend skipping this one.

Cost: $10 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:43:48 | More by jegross2

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

22oz wax topped bottle into a few glasses. Ruby with light mocha head. Rich retention and spotty lacing. Aroma is caraway, molasses, cocoa, caramel, and some green citrus. Taste is identical with added roast and spicy alcohol. Fairly sweet overall. Full bodied with some sharpness and plenty of alcohol warmth. Complex but the ABV interferes occasionally. Share this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 20:15:30 | More by Kegatron

MrVonzipper

California

4/5  rDev -4.1%

01-18-2013 10:12:38 | More by MrVonzipper

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev -4.1%

01-08-2013 05:56:51 | More by MarkyMOD

claytong

Vermont

4/5  rDev -4.1%

12-12-2012 05:36:57 | More by claytong

klipper

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

12-08-2012 21:58:36 | More by klipper

Auztan

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

11-06-2012 18:03:31 | More by Auztan

ncaudle

Virginia

4/5  rDev -4.1%

10-17-2012 23:50:00 | More by ncaudle

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

09-27-2012 00:29:18 | More by t0rin0

corby112

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy dark copper color with amber edges and a half finger yellowish-beige head that quickly settles into a thin ring.  Spotty lacing left behind.

Complex nose with lots of earthy pine, grassy hops, spicy rye, leathery malt and dark fruit notes.  The rye is really prominent slightly overpowering things but as it warms, there are hints of caramel malt, toffee, plum and fig.  

Medium bodied with a dry, earthy hop presence that compliments the spicy rye very nicely.  Again, the rye flavor dominates but there's also some grassy pine needle bitterness that lingers throughout.  Some needed sweetness underneath from the malt backbone that gives off some toffee, caramel, raisin and fig.  Pretty complex and well balanced with leathery malt and faint booziness in finish.   The high is ABV really well masked making this beer deceptively drinkable.  

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 01:16:44 | More by corby112

SirIPAalot

4.5/5  rDev +7.9%

08-19-2012 16:20:58 | More by SirIPAalot

brystmar

Texas

4/5  rDev -4.1%

06-22-2012 04:50:36 | More by brystmar

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter. I had the BA version yesterday, so I figured I'd have this while the memory is still fresh. I'm not sure what vintage this is, but the bottle lists the ABV as 9.5%. Oddly enough there was some what appeared to be rust underneath the heavy layer of wax. Big thanks to SteveFinny for this.

4.5 A: Lightly hazed deep amber plum color. One finger of beige, superbly dense creamy head. Retention is about average for a beer this big, but a good deal of lacing is left.

4.0 S: Shockingly, this smells like the BA version, but without the bourbon and barrel. Big aggressive spicy earthy rye and plenty of caraway seeds too. Plum and fig fruits, caramel and some toffee. It was tough to pick up the caramel in the BA version, so I guess that's how this one is a bit different.

3.5 T: Maybe it's because this is the second time through this beer, but the taste isn't nearly as powerful as it was in the BA version. Yes, the spicy earthy rye and caraway are still plentiful, but this isn't slapping my taste buds silly. There's also less fruitiness, a touch more bitterness, and more toffee and caramel. It's still tasty, but isn't as impressive as the one I had yesterday.

3.5 M: It might be because it has more carbonation, but this is a lot thinner than the BA version. Heavier medium body instead of syruppy heavy body. Carbonation level is much better though. Doesn't have the major chewiness, which I like, but it also isn't particularly creamy.

3.5 D: Tasty beer, but the BA version killed this, but that might have something to do with the vintage. Who knows. Worth a try

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 04:45:14 | More by DavoleBomb

sweemzander

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle poured into a snifter. 2010 Vintage. Got this awhile ago in a trade, but cannot remember from whom.

(A)- Pours a nice clear amber color. Some good white froth and lacing.

(S)- A nice carraway/rye malty caramel profile. Also some subtle spice and subtle pine which is quite nice.

(T)- Similar to the smell. A nice combo of subtle spice (rye) and caramel malt with subtle citrus and pine. Surprising that I seem to be still smelling and tasting the hops after almost 2 years of aging.

(M)- A smooth carbonation level and quite a nice balance of malt and subtle spice/hops.

(D)- Quite a nice barleywine. The time has sure helped this and it could have easily gone for longer too. Well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 15:10:56 | More by sweemzander

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.9/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2010 vintage. Poured from a waxed and capped bomber into a Cigar City snifter.

Thin light caramel head with poor retention. Beer is a cloudy caramel color. Lacing is spotty and spare with little stick. Thick legs. Average given the style.

Caramel, brown sugar, golden raisins and toffee. Some astringent hoppiness hiding in the background. Moderately aromatic and sweet. Nice subtlety.

Opens caramel and brown sugar. Some toffee with raisin stem bitterness towards the middle. More brown sugar and caramel sweetness in the middle with a boozy end. Finishes brown sugar graininess with a bit of a boozy aftertaste. Solid.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Smooth and super silky in the mouth and goes down with a bit of booziness. Finish is accented with a warm, softer, lingering aftertaste. Superb.

A really solid surprise here. Could use a little more sweetness in the taste but the feel is amazing and even with a little over a year on it, this still has tons of aging potential. Can't wait to try the BA version.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 19:58:27 | More by SpeedwayJim

antoines15

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -10.1%

04-19-2012 00:17:05 | More by antoines15

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.55/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass from a 22oz bottle.

Pours a nice oily viscous liquid with some nice dark copper notes that is quite murky and hazy. There is some nice amber and orange notes to this brew. There is also a nice 0.25 inch head.

Aroma starts off with some nice sugary caramel notes and some great molasses. Tons of sweetness that is met and blended will with some nice spicy Rye character. Then some nice citrus ho notes are perceived. Slight boozy notes are perceived.

Flavor starts off with some nice caramel and molasses sweetness. Nice citrus and pine hop notes very resinous. There are some nice rye spice notes mixed in with the nice caramel sweetness. Very smooth tasting brew and very easy to drink or the ABV. The finish is nice and dry with tons of bitterness and a nice citrus bite. Grapefruit notes and some slight orange rind. Mouthfeel is perfect. Oily and slick but with some nice prickly carbonation.

Great AB. Delicious mix of caramel, molasses and the rye spice. Tons of citrus hop notes and some nice resinous notes. Nice bitter dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 00:40:44 | More by JoEBoBpr

BdubleEdubleRUN

California

4.25/5  rDev +1.9%

03-19-2012 20:33:51 | More by BdubleEdubleRUN