25 March 2017

Red Rye Ale (Waitrose) By @SpectreUK


I've written about a couple or so of Red Rye ales recently, and Hook Norton Brewery, in Oxfordshire, produced this one. This 4.7% volume red ale had Maris Otter Pale malt, Crystal malt, Crystal Rye, Enzymic malt, and wheat malt added in the brewing. That's quite a list of malts there for a 330ml bottle, but it doesn't stop there, as oodles of fruitiness was promised on the label with Willamette, Sovereign, Citra, Amarillo and Chinook hops also being added in producing this Red Rye extravaganza. I seriously don't know how they fit it all into one bottle, but they did and now I'm slightly worried about opening it. The pressure of flavours in there must be ginormous.

After putting on some safety goggles from the shed, I apprehensively prized off the bottle top. The aromas from the top of the open bottle were lipsmackingly alluring. There was malt in the initial smell followed by a mountain of fruitiness from the sheer amount of hops added in the brewing. On pouring as expected the ale glowed a healthy glowing red. First taste was like being hit by a freight train of flavour, and it just didn't stop, just rolled straight over my tastebuds, over and over. There was thick malt, then fruitiness which a touch of bitterness from the hops, then sweet malt, then more fruitiness with a touch of citrus for a final whistle into the tunnel of my gob. The aftertaste oozed with fruity malty goodness. Wow! What a Red Rye ale extravaganza this is!

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