Wynkoop RailYard Ale

Brewed by Wynkoop Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

Confused by the description. Pours out of a can a cloudy burnt orange with a bit of a head. Sweet, malty nose with notes of caramel. Smooth mouthfeel, with more flavors of sweet malt and a bit metallic. A bit oxidized, but not offensive. Easy drinking.

Copper, with not much head. Smells malty, with a slight peppery hop aroma in the finish. Flavor is clean malt, with a crisp but unobtrusive hop bite. Not overly sweet, not overly hoppy. Probably a pretty decent session ale.

On tap, pours hazy reddish with white head. Aroma has notes of caramel, toffee, slight touch of grass, spice, touch of earth and biscuit notes as well. Taste is a bit simple but tasty overall with notes of caramel, toffee, some spice and grass notes, finishing fairly sweet, slightly dry.

What’s a beer drinker to order when he or she finds themselves all fancied up for a night at the wine bar? Beer, of course. I don’t know the first thing about wine, and can contentedly sip Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon without the slightest idea that it’s anything but swill. When I had an evening out at a wine bar in Denver I opted for a beer off of the very abbreviated beer menu - a brew from the next door Wynkoop Brewery. Their Railyard Red seemed like a satisfactory substitute for a glass of wine of unknown quality (though eye-poppingly priced). I didn’t think about it much; ambers, red’s and beers of that malty ilk never impressed me. However, on a recent trip to Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora, CO I had the chance to munch on some malted barley, and finally learned what real malt tastes like. This caramel rich malt flavor is the taste of the Railyard Red. It’s hazy red-orange body conceals a light scent of malt in the aroma, but the flavor is dripping with rich malt flavors, almost like malt extract straight from the homebrew store. The aftertaste lingers, as unctuous flavors of caramel and roasted malts settle on the tongue. Caramel is the forward and singular flavor here, but it is intense, and wonderful. I never held much esteem for beers in this flavor profile, but my trip to Dry Dock has made me renounce my ways.

Draft at the Rackhouse in Denver, CO. Pours a clear dark copper/amber color with golden orange hues and a 1.5 finger white head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Spots of soapy lacing left behind. Bland aroma with sweet malt notes and faint floral hops. Hints of caramel, slightly toasty and not much else. Medium bodied and fuller than expected with a good balance of sweet malt and earthy hops. Surprisingly hop forward giving slight dry bitterness that counter the sweeter malt notes. Still a bit too sweet for my liking with caramel, rye, hazelnut and biscuit. Not bad but a bit too sweet. Maybe some light fruit apricot and orange.

Tap @ the brewpub. Pours cobber golden with a shortlived white head. Aroma of malt, nuts, caramel. Taste is caramel malt, sweet fruit, floral hops. Medium body, soft carbonation. 030311

On tap at Wynkoop Brewery. Deep burnt orange in color, with a rocky persistant white head. Smells of cereal grains, some sugar, with very light fruit notes. Flavor profile starts subtly, with brown malts and grains. But it ends in a burst of English-like goodness; caramel malt, light fruit, some zesty citrus hop, finishing in mild bitterness. Not bad at all!

Can. I didn’t bother pouring it into a glass. Sweet malty aroma. Nutty, sweet malts and sour milk. Not crisp or fresh. Blah