Beer # 297 Rye Knot Rye Pale Ale Taps Brewing Company

#297 Rye Knot Rye Pale Ale

Taps on Queen/ Taps Brewing Company

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Brewpub and Microbrewery Established: 2004
Rye Pale Ale
5.0 % ABV IBU: 30
473 ml Aluminium Can
$2.75 (Canadian) At the LCBO

Twitter: @TapsOnQueen

Taps is one of those breweries that I knew about but had never really seen anything from them up this way. They have been around since 2004. Located on Queen Street in Niagara Falls Ontario, they are just down the river a bit from the falls. When they first opened Two families came together to use their knowledge of home brewing and hospitality tourism, and formed the small brewery in the nearby town of Virgil. In 2009 the brewery moved to it's current location and expanded operations, as well as opening a 140 seat restaurant. In 2010 they purchased the Niagara Best Beer company (of which I have had some beer) They merged the operations and opened a sister location Syndicate Restaurant and Brewery.

Tonight's beer is one of my favourite styles: a Rye Pale Ale.

Let's try it out.

Pours an amber honey colour with a short, off-tan head made up of small bubbles. Aroma is honey sweet with a strong fresh baked rye bread, caramel and mild molasses. Rye bread and some caraway carries through the first sip, some hay toned hops with notes of citrus and pine in the background. aeration is very bready with some herbal green bitterness. 

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6  EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS


Final Thoughts:

A very solid Rye Pale Ale, with a good flavour profile. I have long professed my love of this style of beer and this is a very good example of it. Smooth balanced and flavourful there is no good reason some of these should not be in your fridge.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 114 Double Trouble Brewing Co. Fire in the Rye

Fire in the Rye

Double Trouble Brewing Co.

Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Independent
Unfiltered Rye Pale Ale 6.1% ABV Aluminum Can 473 ml
$2.95 (Canadian) At LCBO 
Twitter: @hopsandrobbers

This will be my third Claude and Nathan brew I have tried, sadly I believe it the first that has made it onto my blog, a fact that I will have to correct soon because Double Trouble makes good beer. Their flagship beer Hops and Robbers has been my goto summer beer here at Pint Jockey Headquarters for the past 2 years and is frequently the guest star at our BBQs (it makes an awesome beer butt chicken!!) Tonight's brew is a roasted RPA or Rye Pale Ale, Which is a relatively new style on the craft market that I am seriously getting behind. It is a great way for brewers to update an old standard and infuse more flavour into what would otherwise be just "another IPA." Claude and Nathan use a fire roasted rye malt and hop it exclusively with Centennial hops to produce a straightforward but very flavourful beer.

Enough already... onto the tasting.

Dark amber to a light chestnut in colour with and off white, grey tinged head made up of medium sized bubbles. Aroma is very nutty especially almond, sweet and woodsy. First taste gives us roasted grain, and toasted bread, smoke, wood, transforming into a light floral middle with green hints of hay, alfalfa, and geraniums. The rye is very evident, very bready and sweet. The style is excellent giving me all I could ask for, from a pale ale. Alcohol is evident but not overwhelming. Aeration gives us a very clean crisp and light clover honey taste. The 60 IBU hums a little on the finish with a mild bitterness, just enough to clean up the taste buds ready for another sip.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Re-Order:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL
Experience:  6/6 EXCEPTIONAL

Final Thoughts:

Very high marks to this beer. A wonderful well put together brew. Excellent flavour; another great summer sipper. Rush out and get one of these. I will definitely be trying this next time we BBQ chicken.

Cheers

CJT


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