Rush River Rye barrel-aged Uber Alt (part one of Wisconsin Breweries 2020)

 Rush River Rye barrel-aged Uber Alt. (part one of Wisconsin breweries 2020)

10 % ABV, Rush River Brewing Company, River Falls, WI.

It's a Sunday in September, and Ed and I are in Wisconsin. The first stop is Rush River Brewing in River Falls, and it's my first time there. Here's a breakdown of why it's taken so long: when planning trips to western Wisconsin with other friends, it was usually centered on visiting Dave's BrewFarm, and for the past five years or so, I usually, no, always, wanted to stop at Oliphant Brewing first. We simply never got around to initiating a a journey that included Rush River, no matter how much I respect the brewery and their beers, or how many free pint tickets I had waiting to use. 

So, yeah, long overdue. My history with Rush River goes back over sixteen years, actually. I featured their beers on tap at the Blue Nile shortly after they opened in 2004, but less so after Surly came along two years later. The thirst then, and especially now, is for what's local, and it is ironic that some would consider anything based within the geographical limits of Minnesota to be "local", even if it is a 3 hour drive away, while they would not think of a place that is a mere 40 miles away to be such. Home state pride is powerful. 

I am a bit surprised that they have only appeared here in the Nib a mere 11 times, though I have reviewed them every chance I could get. (Edit: I have just now discovered that Bubblejack IPA is not here in the Nib, their IPA, and you know I love IPAs, which they've been making for fifteen years, which I added to the database of BeerAdvocate in March of 2005. Sigh. More work to do.) Not enough new brews coming across the border in packaged form. (I know for a fact that I tapped the Kirsche at Acadia a few years ago.) But they certainly do mix it up some at the taproom. Untappd has them at 203 distinct beers created, so far.

It was a mellow scene last Sunday. Some folks were hanging out in front, maskless, but we were bound to belly up at the bar, something I greatly miss. Bar stools and tables were spread apart, all the precautions were put to use. Our server, Andy, remained masked, though we took ours off to sip and chat. There were fourteen beers on tap, running the gamut of styles, and I was most impressed by how many of the beers they've brewed over the years were on, along with fruited Berliner Weisses and the like. 

For the first beer, I had a 16th Anniversary Oud Bruin, and it was right on the money, the oak, the malt, the funk. Brilliant. Followed that up with a Wet Hop Ale, because of course, and that one hit some hoppy heights. Closed it out with the one I'll review below, but wait, that's not all. Somewhere in between, instead of the Peach Fizz Berliner Weisse, or the Raspberry Oud Bruin, or the Kirsche, I got a taste of an as-yet un-released, secret beer, that was sour and consisted of a couple different fruits...tasty stuff...and I forgot what they were! And what it was called. I assumed that it would be listed somewhere online in the course of the past week, but it remains a secret. I  enjoyed it, though, like everything I had. 

The mystery beer and the 
masked bartender.

And so now, at last, I have a Rush River growler in my collection. The bourbon barrel-aged version of the suped-up alt bier was so nice, I had to take it home, along with a few other things I'll write about in the future. Our little stop at the Rush River taproom was pleasant, and I'll definitely return. 

Now, notes on the BA Über Alt: 

Clear-is, deep Burgundy hued, slim off-white head. 

In the nose: incredible aromatics. Big, beefy, ballsy, brawny bourbon smells a-popping. Barrel effects are all over this. Spicy rye malt flavors spilling out all over. 

In the mouth: Rich and malty, full of caramel malt and rye barrel feels. Boom, boom, boom, boom! Huge, spicy, sweet, barrel-riffic. Sweet, vanilla, cherries, oak, leather. Spice. And ever so nice. Wow. I am digging this. It's huge, overblown, and I am digging it big time. There's an alt bier under here somewhere, an "über alt", let's not forget, and it's swallowed up by this barrel-aged bombast. An amazing beer.