On tap, Brick Store, Decatur, GA, USA.
Happened to share the first pint of this with pghlee when it was tapped at the Brick Store for the first time. I *think* that this is similar (if not the same) to a version that was tasted at the Atlanta Cask tasting in Jan ’08; I didn’t care for it much then, nor do I care for it now.
The pour is an orange brown, with a lot of chill haze and murkiness. Head is not relevant and the lace is scant.
In a nutshell there is just WAY too much going on here. To be frank I think it is a bit clumsy. When you are starting with a beer like Rye Squared, you are already at the VERY edge of sensible limits of complexity and taste, and adding an oak/age/barrel character just takes this beer out of the zone for me. It gets overly complicated and its drinkability drops off dramatically.
There are too many competing elements here. I get mouthfuls of smoke, wood, hops, malt and alcohol, and combination is not one that is complex in a good way, rather it becomes a cluttered mess – not organized or controlled.
IMO, a poor choice of beer to complicate further, and “kow-towing” to the latest trend in oak is simply a BAD idea with this beer. Also VERY exensive kegs for what it is. Poor value.