Smuttynose Julio’s Ry(e)an Ale

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Specialty Grain
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Shaker, Tumbler

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I believe this is a 2011 bottle. Aroma is nice and complex with lots of sweet malt character balanced by bourbon barrel notes. Lots of dark caramel with a hint of chocolate and roast. Quite a bit of rye spice present as well along with some toasted bread. Some fruitiness is also present with prunes and raisins. Some burnt sugar is also present. Light bourbon, oak and vanilla. Pours a burnt amber with some light brown highlights, but on the whole the beer tends towards red more than brown. Very thin light tan head that quickly recedes to the edges. Light lacing. Flavor is very similar to aroma but with an lot more bourbon character. There is a lot of sweet fruit notes upfront with prune, raisin and fig. There is quite a bit of malt character as well with dark caramel, roast, caramelized sugar and toffee. Light burnt toast notes. Mid to late palate you get a lot of barrel character with a lot of bourbon, oak and vanilla. Light rye spice and some alcohol heat finish out the flavor. Fairly low bitterness, this definitely is on then sweet side. Mouth feel is medium to medium full bodied with medium low carbonation. Astringency is low to medium low and alcohol warmth is medium low. Its a very sweet beer but it isn’t sticky like you would expect considering the sweetness. Overall a very nice, complex beer with good fruit and malt character. The bourbon barrels are well integrated in the aroma but a bit strong in the flavor. The beer is on the sweet side, too much so.

Old rating from 2010. Appears slightly hazy reddish brown with a tan head that goes to a ring. Smell is rich malt, vanilla, light smooth bourbon. Taste is sweet rich malt, smooth bourbon - delicious. Medium body nicely carbonated and smooth. A very tasty beer.

Une instable bombe de whiskey, assez épicé, vanillé dans un corps moyen. L’alcool n’est pas si bien dissimulé, voyons voir avec l’age.

Bottle brought to Vinny’s January 2013 tasting. Pours a deep hazy reddish amber body with no head or lacing. Aroma is sweet molasses, bourbon, maple syrup and faint dark fruits. Mouthfeel is slightly boozy, with ntoes of maple, fruit malts, molasses, light vanilla, rye, and oak barrel. This beer reminded me very much of founder Backwoods bastard and Better Half. Nice.

Bottle shared by James with some heads in early Jan. Poured a hazy amber brown shade with creamy medium sized head and lacing. Aromas of rich bourbon, rye barrel, cocoa, vanilla bean, dark fruit and smooth malts. Taste is much of the same with a layered toffee and oak flavor that lingers for a while. Medium to fuller bodied. A little hot for 8percent but it didn’t matter with all the great flavors coming through.

Bomber pour into snifter..darkish crimson red like color..slight head rests on top..pretty active carbonation..nice looking beer..intrigued from the start..aroma is pleasing consisting of bourbon..vanilla..cream soda..wow..complex nose..mouthfeel is very good on this..smooth..creamy..silky texture..slight alcohol warmth on finish..palate has most of the same flavor as the nose with perhaps a touch of molasses and brown sugar..gets even better as it warms..this is a fine offering and a really good sipper on a winter evening...one of the better less than 10 percent abv barrel aged beers..very impressed with this..wish i had picked up a few more bottles of this from julios..hard to not like this unless you really dislike bourbon aged stuff..very good..

22oz bottle, courtesy of MikeTD (Thanks), if you like bourbon, drink on. huge amounts of vanilla and bourbon come through at all times, a bit sweet, a bit spicy and a good mix, but the bourbon dominates at all times. Still enjoyable and nice to have a bourbon barrel under 10%

Bottle shared by drabmuh. Thanks Matt! A: The beer appears slightly hazy and is chestnut brown in color. Atop the beer sits a half inch of head that leaves a decent amount of sticky lacing on the glass. S: The aroma is an enticing mix of bourbon, rye, vanilla, malt, oak barrels. T: What a fabulous beer! I was completely taken by surprise. Everything found in the aroma shines through in a masterfully crafted beer with balance, subtlety and complexity. M: Medium bodied and packed with flavor throughout. Alcohol presence is there, but I wouldn’t describe the beer as hot. D: Very drinkable. I would really like to have this again. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 12-02-2010

Pours clear dark amber into a snifter. White head with medium retention recedes to hug rim. Sweet rye and bourbon aromas. Thin with sour toffee upfront turning to a mild bourbon before the hot lasting rye burn.

65cl, no mention of ABV, as Ry(e)an Ale, new exclusive American brew Anno 2010, thx to Secret Santa!, complex brew, sweet/spicy and slightly alcoholic/woody, heavy, yet balanced, cloudy, small head, good brew, yet expensive!