Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter - Tyranena Brewing Company

Dope

Massachusetts

4.34/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a nice pitch black with a small but dense medium brown head. Head fades slowly with decent retention. Spotty little bits of lacing.

S: Burnt rye bread initially. Pretty much dead on. Hint of rye whiskey when swirled, but very mild. It stands out a decent bit more once the beer has fully warmed. Decently charry.

T: Really nice flavor. Sweet chocolate with rye bread and a little rye whiskey all mixed together up front. Rye flavors fade, leaving the chocolate - a hot fudge type flavor. Yum. Quick hit of rye whiskey in the finish with a little bit of drying charred oak between sips.

M: Medium bodied, very very smooth and mellow. Feels bigger than it really is.

O: I was little underwhelmed at the aroma but the taste really opened my eyes. Nice flavors and great balance - especially the chocolate. Barrel character is mild but adds a subtle layer of complexity. Delicious beer, a great porter.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 02:15:08 | More by Dope

stooge

Michigan

4.18/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A- very dark brown in color with a head that quickly dissipates leaving very little bubbles and a thin burnt orange ring on the edge of the glass. Laces nicely.

S- cocoa, dark fruit, vanilla, and rye in that order

T- Figs and raisins on the front end, along with boozy oak characteristics, followed by vanilla accents finishing with a mellow cocoa flavor that lingers pleasantly on the back end. Nicely balanced, and not too boozy.

M- Medium body with low carbonation and creamy texture

O- I expected a fuller body and more complex rye flavor, but this is quite enjoyable. Very nice blend of cocoa, vanilla, and dark fruit flavors. I would have preferred a more prominent rye flavor and perhaps more carbonation. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this brew and would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 04:41:20 | More by stooge

JohnnyHopps

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle into a snifter, the color was black with streak of auburn streaking through the beer. A slight mocha head topped the beer leaving lacing in the glass as the beer disappeared from the glass. A whiff of rye is most noticeable, though vanilla and a certain woodiness follow. Initially, one taste a limited level of rye, raisins, burned malts, and a hint of caramel. The rye aging becomes a little more apparent in the aftertaste as the dark fruits fade. Only a mild taste of alcohol is detectable, with little warming sensation to be noticed. Mouthfeel is impressive in the Dirty Old Man. It is thick enough to linger in the mouth for several minutes, as the rye notes mellow. I let this bottle mellow for about a year and a half. I think the taste and smell were a little more potent then, but this is still an enjoyable beer. In my experience, this beer did not age as well as I would have anticipated. Even though my current sampling is not fresh, I still love this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 03:38:10 | More by JohnnyHopps

Gobzilla

California

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: poured dark brown in color with brownish yellow highlights and a thin khaki colored bubbly head that left a thin collar of lacing sticking to the glass after every sip.

S: chocolate sweetness was definitely noticeable upfront in the aroma with no much rye character but did manage to sniff out a little molasses, maple syrup, dark fruit, whiskey barrel wood and good roastiness.

T; the whiskey barrel character was more pronounced on the palate alongside dark fruit accents, molasses, brown sugar maple syrup sweetness, good amount of booze heat, a touch of vanilla but not too much rye spice flavor.

M: the brew was medium to full in body with a fair amount of carbonation which had a sweet, roasty, very slight rye, wood barrel, semi boozy, mild dark fruity and creamy finish.

O: definitely one of the more interesting beers of the night but not disappointed at all. Glad to have another offering from tyranena.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 02:40:15 | More by Gobzilla

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Split with a bottle with my wife, and I have to say, it might have been in Dirty Old Man's best interest to have my wife do the review, as this is arguably her favorite beer now. If her 6 oz lasted 90 seconds I'd be greatly surprised.

As for me, I very much liked the beer, but not to the extent she did. There was a slight disjointedness between the spark of the rye and the smooth of the barrel. Tasted good, just slightly confusing. Perhaps because it's a blend. I will agree with the wife that the consistency was pretty damn close to perfect.

The BGW series is comically underrated. But I would love to see Tyranena really go wild and offer this as a fully barreled beer instead of as a partially barreled beer. It can't do anything but improve an already very good drink. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 15:52:05 | More by lurpy1

Andrew61923

Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into Portsmouth Brewery tulip. About time I spread the wealth with my glassware. Had let the bottle sit out from the fridge for about 20 minutes before pouring.

A: Very, very dark brown. Almost black. Despite aggressive (read: full vertical pour), there was virtually no head. For a beer with a not so high ABV, this is a bit surprising, but not off-putting by any means.

S: Chocolate covered raisins all the way through. I'm usually not a huge dark fruits fan, but this smells awesome. I'm almost picking up on some prunes. Very intense smell.

T: The smell is replicated on the palette. I'm not picking up on a lot of the barrel, but it makes sense since it was blended. When I think about it, I can definitely pick up on it, but otherwise, I'd be none the wiser. Again, not a big dark fruits guy, but I'm digging this.

M: Velvety smooth and entirely enjoyable. Wouldn't want more than a few of these at a time, but the ABV is well hidden.

O: The only shortcoming is the initial appearance, but otherwise this beer is nothing short of great. If you see this, give it a shot without thinking twice about it.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 03:19:53 | More by Andrew61923

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Poured Jet black with a small dirty head that dissipates very rapidly leaving zero bubbles and light lace

S: Light peppery rye, vanilla, some light bourbon, cocoa

T: Muddled and confused. While I taste an initial light cocoa and bourbon the flavors tend to be muddy, undefined and sloppy. Vanilla peaks in with some roasted malts. Finish is a little sweet and syrupy

M: Rather well bodied, low carbonation is not satisfying and I believe t hampers the taste and creaminess of this beer

O: Average at best with some flaws.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 15:07:47 | More by barleywinefiend

GregSVT

Texas

4.13/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into a tulip

A: Pours a dark brown with a really big and thick light brown head that fades to a small layering and leaves some nice lacing on the glass. The head was so thick I couldn't swirl the beer at first until it go to about a 1/4 of an inch tall.

S: The nose is good for a regular porter but this is partially aged in barrels so I expected a bit more. Most bakers chocolate, cocoa, and chocolate milk. There's really no rye at all in this but that doesn't surprise me after 4 years.

T: The taste is very similar to the nose with very little barrel influence but a lot of nice flavors. There are notes of cocoa, vanilla, coffee, hops, and maybe a touch of rye spice in the background.

M: Probably one of the best mouthfeels I've had on a beer. Big, thick, and creamy with beautiful slow rolling carbonation.

O: I wanted to love this one and while it was pretty dang tasty I still think it could be better if it was 100% barrel aged. This is the 2nd time I have said this about a Tyranena beer so hopefully they'll start releasing these as unblended in the future.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 03:30:32 | More by GregSVT

ehammond1

California

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, stig!

(Aged for 6 months)

Black throughout with a small dark brown head that actually stays around for most of the beer's duration, eventually leaving an oily sheen and spots of stick down the glass.

A pleasant combination of rye whiskey, chocolate, mild roast, and more barrel influence come together very nicely. Very minimal presence of alcohol in the aroma.

The flavor follows the aroma, with good amounts of rye whiskey, chocolate, and roast combining quite pleasantly. There's some sweetness and a low level of bitterness.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very appropriate.

I was very much impressed with this one. This one came together very nicely and was a great way to end the night.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 03:19:02 | More by ehammond1

Morey

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours black in color with about a finger of light brown head. You can definitely see some reddish-brown hues if you hold this up to a bright enough light. Pretty nice lacing on the glass.

Aroma: You can smell the rye right way. I'm also getting roasted malts, coco nibs, burnt coffee, and subtle dark fruits.

Taste: There's a nice combination of roasted malt and rye up front that sets the tone for some nice bitterness. The rye adds a spicy kick towards the middle. I'm definitely getting some oak from the barrels towards the back-end. The whiskey shows up in there as well, but it's pretty subtle. Pretty smooth and full bodied finish with nice lingering flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a nice creamy feel. Low carbonation level.

Morey's Bottom Line: Pretty tasty stuff to be sure. The rye barrels bring some nice flavors to the party. This bottle was a gift, but I'd definitely buy this if I lived within the distribution area.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 18:28:03 | More by Morey

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours out a solid dark brown with a brief moment of tan fizzy head that dies back to a 2mm collared ring, no real lacing is present.

Roasted sort of malt and bitter chocolate smell is present in the smell, along with an unusually light whiskey aroma for a barrel-aged beer. Huh. Also the typical 'rye' spicy musky aroma seems a tad underused as well to my nose. But underneath these flaws lies a very nice malty porter aroma blend.

It does have a nice rich chocolatey porter flavor with a nuance of smokiness, rye spice, and bits of tangy rye whiskey showing up now and then as well... but the same issues of not quite enough intensity to suit my tastes shows up again too. However, the flavor of the exceptional porter base underneath really shines through, partially making up for this.

Medium body with light carbonation.

Almost there, just needs a few tweaks on the volume knob in order to truly shine as a "big beer". I was expecting a brew called "Dirty Old Man" to be...well...*dirtier* than this.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 22:05:31 | More by WastingFreetime

tigg924

Massachusetts

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

Appearance: black in color, opaque, 1 inch head, moderate carbonation

Smell: dark chocolate and whiskey

Taste: complex-dark chocolate and whiskey dominate, touches of cocoa, and light rye at the end

Mouthfeel: sweet, oaky, moderate carbonation, heavy bodied

Overall: A very slow drinker that was executed excellently. Love the complexity here. The oak and chocolate merge better here than what some other brewers have done. I would have this again, but one per night seems about right.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 17:05:01 | More by tigg924

nlmartin

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was chilled and served in an Imperial Pint glass.

A- I am a sucker for a dark beer. The body of this beer is black with just a tiny amount of ruby opaqueness to light. The head is thick and a very dark tan almost brown in color. Nice head retention noted. Very thick lacing noted as this beer rapidly vanishes before my eyes.

S- The aroma of the beer consist of darkly toasted, roasted and lightly chared malt, nice cocoa and lightly roasted coffee. A very subtle whiskey aroma rattles around in the aroma.

T- Nicely executed! Dark roasted malts hit all the right dark semi sweet cocoa, coffee and dark fruited notes. A bit of vanilla and a pretty strong whiskey component play about my mouth.

M- The body of the beer is medium and lightly carbonated. Alcohol is nowhere in the mouth. Very satisfying.

O- Tyranena has a wonderful porter as a base to play with. I have enjoyed many variations on the porter and look forward to more. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 09:16:45 | More by nlmartin

sukwonee

Washington

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: For an "American porter", this beer looks quite thick with very very little head. Very little lacing. Dark brown/black body.

S: Very much bourbon front, Coffee, Roasted malt. Some sweetness.

T: Wow. This is awesome. Very long lasting flavor for a porter and quite a bit of sweetness in the back. Bourbon is there, but is much more subtle in the taste than in the nose. Chocolate, vanilla, roated malt, and brown sugar.

M: This feels more like an oatmeal stout but thicker. It's not really "syrupy" but it's chewy. Hard to articulate it, but there is that oatmeal stout consistency. Quite thick beer for the style.

O: What a surprise. This is a great beer, imo. Thank you Beermefitz for throwing this in as an extra.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 01:40:50 | More by sukwonee

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to robbiemoy13 for this bottle. Poured in to Founders tulip

A - Dark brown with half a finger of light brown head.

S - Roasted malts, bourbon, oak, sweet chocolate and some coffee. A nice balance of the bourbon barrel and the base beer.

T - Big roast up front with loads of sweet chocolate. Bourbon and light vanilla flavours come through next. The finish is dark roasted coffee. Fairly sweet overall. Some char and spiciness show up at time. The bourbon is very much secondary in the palate as the base beer flavours take centre stage.

M - Medium to full body. Somewhat thick. Light carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 15:35:45 | More by TheSevenDuffs

dejrrma

Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dated 20FEB12 on neck in dark ink. 12 oz bottled poured into Dogfish Head signature snifter. Thanks to Mark for this one.

a- a dark, dark, chocolate color bordering on black, with a velvety head resembling that of moccacino foam, and a thin film for lacing. great looking beer.

s- coffee, vanilla, very slight whiskey, roasted malts.

t- oaky malts and chocolate sweetness, noticeable amount of coffee but not nearly like in FIS/FBS, the whiskey is there, but it's very subtle, contributing the nice spiciness in the beer rather than booziness.

m- velvety. it's viscous and thick on the surface, but ends up being thinner and lighter, almost mousse like. low carbonation. Very drinkable.

o- I would love to have this again. I haven't had very many BA porter. The whiskey barrel aging isn't as prominent as in other BA beers I've had. I expected a more aggressive whiskey character, but I'm not disappointed. This is a great beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 05:46:33 | More by dejrrma

siege06nd

Virginia

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks, funhog, for this awesome extra. Appreciate it, Jim! A Rye Whiskey barrel aged porter?!? Amazing!

A. It's basically black, maybe the deepest, darkest of tobacco browns. A thin but persistent quarter finger of light brown head. Very nice lacing down the sides. This is a thing of beauty in my snifter.

S. Healthy dose of chocolate, coffee, and spicy rye. Also detecting some vanilla and even caramel in the background. It's a straightforward, somewhat simple bouquet, but it is well-integrated and very inviting.

T. Chocolate, rye, some whiskey sweetness, and traces of coffee roast. Fairly light on the palate, this is a porter after all, but the barrel treatment adds a nice, spicy, wood character. Excellent.

M. It's just a little bit thin. I don't really think it's the carbonation, because that seems spot on. But it could be that the base beer just doesn't lend enough body to withstand the barrel treatment. Flavors are all really nice, but it's got a mildly flabby flavor profile.

O. Wow, what an intriguing beer. I admire the fact that Tyranena decided to barrel-age a porter as opposed to a stout. A stout may have been just as excellent, but what they have here is a relatively light drinking (7.9% for real?!?) barrel aged porter. It has wonderful roasted qualities characteristic of the style, but the rye whiskey barrels add a lovely texture of spice and sweetness to the whole affair. Outstanding creativity on display here.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 18:47:02 | More by siege06nd

martyl1000

Wisconsin

4.9/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Oh, yeah. That's the stuff. On tap at Greenbush Bar (Madison). so fortunate to live in Madison and find this on tap in a few places. It's far, far superior to the bottle version. On tap, so rich, so complex, so sweet, yet so roasty. The rye whiskey flavor is nice here, not that tinny tartness you get in the bottle version.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2012 02:51:35 | More by martyl1000

mdfb79

New York

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

Received as an extra from SteelersX; thanks Joe! Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my Bruery tulip.

a - Pours a very dark brown, almost black color, with one inch of dark tan head that leaves quickly and low carbonation evident. Looks thick.

s - Smells of roasted malts, whiskey, vanilla, oak, coffee, chocolate, and some light toasted malts. Very nice mix of coffee and whiskey; I like it a lot.

t - Tastes of roasted malts, bitter chocolate, dark fruits, whiskey, oak, cream, vanilla, coffee, toasted malts. Taste is a little bitter and has some nice dark fruits, and less whiskey then the nose. Different then the nose, but still very nice.

m - Medium body and low to moderate carbon. Creamy body, but not quite as thick as I was expecting.

o - Overall I thought this was a very good BA porter; another winner from Tyranena. The nose has a nice amount of whiskey and coffee, while the taste has more bitter chocolate and dark fruit. Pretty easy to drink; just a well made beer. Would like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 23:25:34 | More by mdfb79

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Kegatron for gifting me with a bottle of this. I have had very few offerings from Tyranena and each of them thus far have been enjoyable and unique. Poured into a tulip, the brew appears black in color with 2 fingers of tan head. The cap is frothy and slowly recedes coating the entire surface of the glass with a thick coating of lace. What remains is a rich froth that is almost nitrogen-like in appearance with its tiny bubble formation that is very creamy looking.

The aroma opens up with a light tang, perhaps from the rye whiskey inclusion. It is pleasantly roasted with a rich, dark grainy character that is deeply earthy like heavily kilned coffee with a slight touch of citrus aspect. The roast transcends from coffee quality to bitter chocolate and then on to dark fruits like raisins, molasses and a touch of tobacco. The alcohol falls in and out of being noticed with a mild accent to the dark fruity quality of this aroma. Overall, this is a very pleasant smelling brew.

The taste of this brew opens up with a pleasant bitterness that is quite reminiscent of unsweetened cacao. A bit of earthy quality mixes with a roast like fresh coffee. Some dark fruity quality and alcohol is present with a raisin-like touch of character. A touch of tobacco fills out the middle. The backend has a mild touch of barrel presence with tannins and oak quality that flirts with a mild vanilla flavor but doesn't quite get there. As the brew gets warmer, a bit of tangy alcohol touch starts to get increasingly more and more noticeable. It isn't distracting by any means but its also not my favorite aspect of this sort of brew.

This is a rich, medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It has a slick, smooth feel that almost goes with the predescribed look of almost being like it is a nitro deliver but not quite that smooth and silky. I get a little funny about porters and stouts that have dark fruit flavors but this one had enough of roasty bitterness and other character that it really formed a solid, enjoyable package. Thanks again for this one Heath!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 02:35:46 | More by stakem

brystmar

New York

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Gimme a sponge bath! Love the mascot & bottle design.

Nice appearance. Great roasty aroma with toffee and hints of whiskey. Dry porter-esque finish. Slightly oxidized.

Decent flavor profile; more imperial stout-like than portery. Oily body is plenty thick. A decent brew, but I'd choose FBS every time instead.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 03:45:31 | More by brystmar

brydeen

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a creamy looking dark brown, with a thin, quickly dissipating tan head.

S: A nice smooth mixture of chocolate and roasted malt.

T: Nice roasty flavor up front. Loads of bittersweet chocolate, with a very pleasant smoothing finish from the barrel aging. Not even a hint of booziness here.

M: Medium bodied and creamy, with very light, subtle carbonation.

O: One of the easiest drinking barrel-aged beers around. Not going to wow anybody, but is really really solid.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 00:33:04 | More by brydeen

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. No bottle date.

Pours the darkest brown possible with a one finger head that lingers for several minutes. An aroma of chocolate, espresso, with undertones of whiskey. Taste is chocolate up front transitioning into bold roasted malts and coffee finishing dry with mild whiskey alcohol. The mouthfeel is exceptional. Pleasant carbonation and nearly perfect medium body that is like velvet in your mouth. Overall, this is one of the better American Porters I've had recently. Although barrel-aged, the barrel doesn't dominate, but the accents of rye whiskey are clearly discernable. This brew is highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 03:22:27 | More by chanokokoro

wisrarebeer

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Tyranena's brewery/tap room.

A: dark, opaque, clear with little head
S: milder nose, had some barrel nose, roasted malt
T: creamy, not overly roasted, subtle barrel qualities
M: not intense but nice and mellow, well balanced, creamy, easy drinking for ABV
O: I liked this beer but was expecting just a bit more barrel qualities

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2012 00:53:33 | More by wisrarebeer

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

3.93/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Here’s a beer that was recommended to me offhandedly while shopping around the liquor store the other day. A rye porter aged in rye whiskey barrels sounds great, anyway, especially for a rye-lover like me.

Brewed less than a month ago (“BOTTLED ON 20FEB2012” on the neck of the bottle), though there was definitely some age on this one before it left the brewery.

A: This one pours chocolaty brown, rich with a shining darkness. The head is a one-and-a-half finger of brown suds, though it’s soon down to nothing more than some tan cream along the edge of the glass. Lacing is light and very oily, with only a small minority of foam strings staying around for more than a few seconds. It doesn’t look very carb-heavy at first, but a quick swirl makes some pillow-foam materialize from the deep body.

S: Wonderful: rich and sweet, it starts with robust aromas of salted caramel, roasted peanuts, toffee, chocolate sauce, and coffee. It’s so brazenly attractive – extraordinarily warm and inviting. That powerhouse of flavors gets augmented by some complex grain aromas, with smooth dark cherry and baked apple wheat scents over a thin layer of roasted pumpkin and pumpernickel bread. Some of the barrel shines through soon after – grain whiskey and charred wood, mainly. Great character on a beer of this style.

T: Full-on cocoa powder and coffee with cream are all over the front of this bold palate, bittersweet and roasty. That, plus caramel nougat, dark fruits, and a handful of peanut brittle really makes its upfront character very candy-like. Even so, there’s a spicy alcohol character behind that never gives up its mission: vanilla, big char tastes, and just plain old whiskey flavors appear to showcase their moderate hit of complexity. The barrel-aging isn’t readily apparent, unfortunately, but the alcohol spice is strong enough to notice. It finishes on a dry note, almost citrusy in its hop presence, and with some smokiness and acidity.

M: Smooth and rich: it fills out like a stout while always remaining drinkable. It definitely has its porter moments, though, with a characteristically light wateriness.

O: You’d think that a beer like this would have a rich, slow-sipping profile; fortunately, that’s not the case. I say “fortunately” because a light, drinkable character is what completely defines this beer: simply put, it’s enjoyable. Not too big and not too heavy, it remains a pleasure to drink at every sip. If this beer had more rye character, I’d have a constant supply of this beer in my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 03:06:37 | More by BarryMFBurton