Bench Creek Brewing Northern Grace Red Rye IPA American IPA at 6.2% ABV | 78 IBU (C$3.20 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 473 ml, bottle date 21-Mar-2017, acquired 25-Apr-2017, reviewed 25-Apr-2017)
Appearance: hazy red-tinged deep amber with one fat finger of fluffy ivory head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus, toffee, pine, dried dark fruit, earth, coffee. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, mild peppery spice. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly spicy finish. (3/5)
That’s… really not what I was expecting. I don’t mean that in a negative way, exactly, but it’s definitely puzzling. The coffee, for example: I’m definitely getting coffee here, and little to none of the sharp sourdough notes I usually associate with rye, though the residual peppery spice is on target. The dark malt, dried fruit, and coffee all would seem more appropriate to a Porter, or even an Imperial Stout, than to an IPA. And yet this is fresh, and canned, so I have to operate on the assumption that this is intentional. Huh. Well, it’s unexpected and interesting, I’ll give it that. It’s about as much like a Rye IPA as chalk is like cheese, but it’s not without its charms. (13/20)
6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
