3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Shared bottle at Cardinal. Clear copper with a light brown creamy head. Inviting aroma laden with caramel, dried fruits, flowers and malts. A hoppy acidity and bitterness along with candy, malts, alcohol and roasted notes. Full bodied with a rather lively carbonation and a dry, bitter finish.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
12 fl oz bottle from Vinmonopolet, Vika. Dense yellow-shaded blond top. Near-clear reddish amber body. Rounded and complex, both in aroma and flavor. Smell of fruity/floral and gently resinous hops, bready, peppery, toasted malts. Medium strong malt body. As the aroma, taste is a nice blend of inviting hops and bready malts. Lightly spiced, with notes of woodworks. A good amount of bittering hops in the backbone. Well-bodied. Fruity, peppery , spiced bready finish. Yummie!
4.1 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Intense fruity and hoppy aroma, mothwatering. Minty and piney hops, sweet and sour, oaklike dry finish. Some pumpernickel, too. Refreshing. Outstanding.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Cloudy, hazy, reddish to burnt orange in color with dark yellow/gold highlights around the edges. Beautiful, white, thick, creamy head that had a negligible red tint to it. The head had tremendous retention with considerable lacing. Nice, fresh, perfumy hops abound in the nose. Grapefruit, peach and a dry rye bread note come through solidly. Very well balanced. No alcohol coming out in the aroma, which is nice and non-distracting. Smells wonderful. The taste... Grapefruit citrus at first and the bitterness is surprisingly tame for 70 IBU’s. A good thing in my opinion. The rye hides in the background for a scant flavor. The bitterness is there, but it’s not overpowering. Medium mouthfeel that was crisp and refreshing. Clean and delicate. Only the most remote warmth, but I think that is perfect for this type of beer. This is a very nice brew. The bitterness was delicate and fitting. This brew would be very special during the Spring. Easily drinkable at 6.6% ABV. I cold drink a few of these at one sitting easily. The head stayed around for the entire time I drank the beer. Amazing!!!
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle. Pours a clear and orange/amber beer with an offwhite head. The aroma is malt, sweetness, some caramel and hops with citrus. The flavor is malt, caramel, sweetness and hops with citrus, grapefruit and peach. The palate is bitterness. Overall a good beer.
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
12oz bottle pours copper red with huge billowy khaki head. Aromas are alcohol, grass, floral, and a little toasty malt. Flavor is malty with a meduim bitterness. Body is medium and has a bitter finish
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Appearance: blood orange. Coppery head fades to a large puddle while a virtual blanket of lace marks my glass 360 degrees. Swirls with a thicker head and less prominent lace.
Nose: oh how I love rye in beer… rye bread, heavy and a touch sweet with rye seeds in all their entirety. Sweet peaches in the back along with apricots while their fuzzy-wuzzy skins offer softness followed by bitterness. Each snuff ends right back where she started: rye breads. Whisper of grassiness and key lime.
Palate: full, soft, and rye breads all the way. I’ll have another slice, er, quaff if you please. Doesn’t have quite the bite and spiciness that raw rye seeds have on their own, but tis there gently. Succulent sweetness of peaches and apricots. Quick finish. Spice lingers in the back and in my breath; cinnamon sticks and rye. Soft bready underbelly. Mandarin oranges join her peachy and apricot brethren. Grass and fruit skins for a bitter finish. Spice gains more oomph as she warms.
Final Thoughts: hands down one of the best rye pale ales I have tasted to date. All her flavors stood out proudly, and yet also worked together in tastetacular harmony. But then again, this is Founders and they can do/have done no wrong in my beery book of bliss.
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
A: A darkish copper color with a big off-white head.
S: Lots of citrus hops with a bit of pine in there as well. On further smells, the rye comes through.
T: Not as much of the rye as is present in the nose, but it’s nicely there the entire time. Hops are good on top of the slightly-sweet malt.
M: Fairly thick and quite smooth.
D: Very drinkable. A solid beer that is very nice on a Fall day with the nice hops and the warming feeling of the slightly-spicy rye.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed on: 04-29-2009
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