I have been working on a rye pale ale for a bit (to limited success right now) and figured it would be wise to try one of the best. I’ve had this beer many times before and it deserved the Beertastic treatment. Go buy their beers now. Another excellent brewery Illinois can be proud of.

Brewery Home: Warrenville, IL

Serving Style: 12 oz into pint glass

Beer Style: Rye Pale Ale

Appearance: Clear dark amber body. Holding it up I was surprised how much (dark) color it had! Rich reds around the sides of the glass. Head is small, off-white and sinks back into the body after a minute or two.

Aroma: Excellently balanced dark malty sweetness with a great rye twang. The hop aroma rounds out the profile with a crisp, citrusy and earthy American variety bite. I may also detect a hint of hot alcohol sizzle in the background.

Taste: Nearly flawless taste front to back in this drinkers opinion. It has a tinge of crystal (dark) malt sugars that blend into a rye edge, ending with excellently nuanced hop bitterness. The bottle notes that this beer is 68 IBU (high bitterness), which is more than my tastebuds are telling me. The bitterness is clean, dry and just wonderful. Hard to find any serious flaws. Jenny likes it a lot too…which could be a bad thing since we have to share a fridge. At 7.0% it is a bit high to be a session beer, but I am willing to commit. Incredibly drinkable.

ABV: 7.0%

Drink one or all?: How good do you want your night to be?

Cost: $10/4-pack

Overall: +19/20