Review Date 5/4/2013
Try?
Re-buy?
Last night I stopped in at my local Canton Taco Mac. Now, if you read my writings on anywhere near a frequent basis, then you know that this is unusual. What is unusual, though, is that the first beer I ordered when I walked in was a Pabst Blue Ribbon. In a can. No, I haven’t sworn off microbrews at all, my friends, but the PBR that night was coming with a really neat foam coozie shaped like a paper bag, and I just had to have it.
What does that have to do with Red Brick Brick Mason Series #6 Black Eye Rye India Black Ale? Not much, really, except that after the PBR I was ready for something really good. The Black-Eye Rye was newly tapped, and I had a feeling the keg would go quickly, so I ordered up a glass. My now-or-never suspicions about the beer were well founded, since I don’t often see the Brick mason series beers hanging around here (the last one I had at my local Taco Mac was Vanilla Gorilla in September of 2011.)
I knew this was an 11-ounce pour going in, though I was not happy about it. Back in 2011, my 11-ounce Vanilla Gorilla was a mere five bucks. Red Brick Black-Eye Rye set me back $7.50 for the same serving size. Atlanta’s Red Brick beers used to be a bargain, but no more. Sweetwater, Jailhouse, Red Hare, and Terrapin continue to offer full-sized pours on beers comparable to Black-Eye Rye. There will be a reckoning for the high price and smaller serving at the end of the review.
Red Brick says of Black-Eye Rye:
Black-Eye Rye is an American-style India Black Ale brewed with rye. Inspired by the popularity of this unique and interesting style, it pours midnight black and features a fluffy cappuccino colored head. Don't let the dark color fool you though, because this is Red Brick's hoppiest beer yet! The aroma features complex tropical fruit notes of mango and peach intermingling with classic citrus and pine, as well as a slight hint of cocoa. The flavor is resinous and piney, complimented by a velvety mouth-feel, and finishes with lingering notes of grapefruit and bittersweet chocolate. It's sure to keep you coming back round after round!
Red Brick Black-Eye Rye has an alcohol content of 8% by volume, has IBUs and is hopped with Citra, Chinook, Calypso, Cascade, Bravo and “Experimental #05256” hops, whatever those are.
My glass of Red Brick Brick Mason Series #6 Black Eye Rye India Black Ale arrived a jet black color with a light foamy tan head formation atop. The nose was roasty and resiny in aroma, and as I sipped I loved the dark chocolaty malt that called forth memories of homemade chocolate pudding complete with the skins on top. A thick layer of Brussels Lace clings to the sides of the glass as the liquid descends. The beer is quite roasty in the plate, though not so much as to detract from all the hops going on. Some spicy rye comes through as the beer progresses, then a resiny hop aroma and a long dry roasty and bitter hop finish.
I don’t really get the fruitiness Red Brick talks about. Compared to other India Dark Ales (and I would call this a Double India Dark Ale) the hops are very present and tasty in their mostly resiny, slightly citric goodness, but not as pronounced as in some examples of the style I have tasted. As I finish the last of the beer, I notice you really have to look for the rye. It gets lost in the roasty-hoppy fireworks going on.
A nice enough beer for sure, and I enjoyed it, but I would not buy it again at the price. $7.50 for 11 ounces is just way too much, and it will probably be $9.99 to $10.99 for a four-pack. I think Sweetwater’s newly released Dank Tank Series Some Strange Double India Dark Ale is better, it’s stronger at 10%, too, and a full mug pour for less money. It’s a little pricier ounce per ounce in the bottle at $6.29 for a 22-ounce bomber, but again I like it better. Red Brick Black-Eye Rye American Black Ale is worth a try, but not a re-buy in my opinion.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
