Ding Points: 77.50

Pour: 70.00, Nose: 80.00, Palate: 80.00, Mouth: 70.00, Global: 80.00

Tasting Notes:

Bottle has black wax which is VERY thick. Quite a pain to open. As Ranger Creek mentions on its web site, it (the wax) does stink a bit! Bottled conditioned, the beer is dated 4.9.12.

Oatmeal Pale Ale with Rye added and then oak-aged for a month? Not sure this will be my cup of tea at all, but Small Batch #2 was good and a surprising beer, so I guess we can give it a whirl. Thanks go out to @lnashsig for the chance to try it.

No: 1 in the glass

Pour is a very clear, tangerine body with some decent white head. Good lace.

Ranger Creek, Small Batch Series No: 1

The nose has a lot of horseblanket funk which is a little confusing. The beer is not overwhelming in terms of any particular taste element. there is a drying, earthy hop note but it’s gentle, a slight funkiness, but it’s subtle, and a little bitter rye spice but it’s not more than hint.

The word

I get some light, woody, drying citrus toward the finish. Just when I think I have a handle on the beer, there’s an orangey sweetness that cuts in as well. This beer is also a LOT funkier than I was expecting. There must have been some serious microbes in those barrels.

More words

This is a complicated, complex and interesting beer that gets my attention in a manner I was not expecting. I suppose that’s not all that surprising since a beer that is described in the manner it was, it is hardly ‘mainstream’, and it is likely to spring a few surprises.

Other: Rye Beer, 7.00% ABV.