Beer – #343 – Emelisse – Smoked Rye IPA

Two in a row from this brewery then , this one the an Emelisse Smoked Rye IPA (Innovation Serie)

330ml bottle of a 6.25 ABV beer being 1.61 standard drinks in NZ, 186 calories and 55 IBU things.

Brewed by Brouwerij Emelisse in the style of either a smoked or an India Pale Ale (IPA) and they didn’t move in the last few minutes from Kamperland, Netherlands

Selfie!

An IPA brewed with 20% Rye malt and 10% Weyermann Smoke malts. Simcoe and Cascade Hops.

The Smoked Rye IPA is a beer in the Emelisse Innovation Serie’s

Light smoke on opening.

An orange pour with a small and firm lasting head.

The smoked notes are lesser in the glass, but they are there.

Peaty smokey taste with this, the peat is lasting and all present. I guess you could mix peat and smoke, I’ll switch to smoke for the rest of this.

So a smokey backbone in this, with little bitterness up-front and a short finish. Lots of carbonation on the tongue.

There’s a few things going on in this, some of them are not adding to the whole.

The carbonation gives you a sense of drinking soda water, the taste really isn’t strong enough to carry that amount of bubbles.

The smokey note though is there and present and lasting, it give you a full finish, even if the bitterness doesn’t.

The pdubyah-o-meter says this is a 6 on the scale of all arbitrary things.

And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Except that there are really some very very good smoked, whiskey, peat beers and this isn’t one of them.

The Double Dip review

Am I enjoying it? not as much as you’d think
Would I have another? Nope
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? Nope

SMOKED

The classic smoked beers hail from Bamberg in Franconia, Germany. These are made using malt that has been smoked over beechwood. The insistent smokiness may be applied to any lager style. In North America, the same technique has been used to make smoked porter. Whiskey malt beers are made using peat-smoked malt.

INDIA PALE ALE & IPA

India Pale Ale gets its name and unique style from British brewers who were making beer for export to India. This style has an intense hop flavor which was used to preserve the beer for the long voyage. India Pale Ale has a golden to copper color with a medium maltiness and body. The aroma is moderate to very strong. IPAs work especially well at cutting the heat of chili, vindaloo or Sichuan cuisine.