Rush River Batch 1000

Some breweries celebrate big milestones, like every 20 years, 25, 30 and so on. Others do a special beer every single year on their birthday. And then there's Rush River, who quietly kept putting out their beers, never marking their 5th when it came around, celebrating only now that they've hit the major mark of a thousandth batch. This one is yet another forward step for these guys, an unfiltered rye "red ale" that reminded me of Surly Furious at first taste. I'm going to take some notes right about now. Get ready, here they come...

Lightly hazed, deep amber appearance, nearly red, but not quite.

Spicy malt rises in the aroma, met with bitter hop nots, melding into bittersweet and bready. A mix of hop notes, with no one characteristic standing out. Some citrus, some tropical tones, but they're all well blended.

Taste: Bitter hops spank the tongue at first gulp, then they slide all over the palate. Lays long and lasts. Great texture, and beautiful balance. Heavy malt feel, full body, and excellent consumability. Very appealing flavor, a constant stream of happy hoppiness hits the lips and traverses the tongue. Crawls the roof of the mouth, spreads up, down, over and out. Rewarding mouthfeel.

With this one-shot offering, RR has created an ale for the hop-heads, as well as those who yearn for plenty of malt to keep up with the hops. Rye character is strong and spicy, bordering on intense. Comparable to Cane and Ebel from Two Brothers, and a bit better than Summit India Rye from the Unchained Series.

One thing I know for sure, that this is delicious. I've got two kegs of this, and I'll enjoy them for as long as it lasts. Yum.