Brau Brothers Rye Wyne Review

Name: Brau Brothers Rye Wyne
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11%


So this'll be my last rye beer for probably the rest of the year, because while the style has certainly grown on me, I'm getting tired of Rye Beers as a whole. Never fear for I will wait until I can confront my old nemesis, Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA, once again. Victory will not be so easily obtained for you this time Ruthless Rye!

Anyways...... Brau Brothers is the only (major) craft brewery located in Southwestern Minnesota and are in the process of expanding which includes moving from Lucan, MN to the larger city of Marshall, MN. They are known primarily for their Moo Joos and Bancreagie ales, though once a year they release a limited edition beer. Last year they released a Quad-Style ale, which was quite good and aged in Templeton Rye Whiskey Barrels. Well this year, it's their Rye Wyne which were also aged in the exact same barrels as the Quad Ale. If the label is to be believed, this has been conditioning since 2011.

Rye Wyne pours a dark brown color with a creamy khaki colored head. As far as carbonation goes, there really isn't anything visible here.

The nose starts out with a fairly prominent caramel and chocolate scent; Followed by roasted barley, hops, rye, malts and spices. Oddly enough, the rye isn't as strong in the aroma as I had expected.

The flavor reveals a different and arguably more complex offering. The front of the flavor starts out with some strong fairly strong vanilla, chocolate and rye notes. Then in changes it up by having some smoked malts, oak, caramel, and light hoppiness. The rye is much more pronounced here than in the aroma, which helps add to it's complexity in addition to the other flavors. Kind of disappointed that I'm not getting any Quad hints in the flavor though, but hey at least there's no booziness!

The body is pretty light for a barleywine and thanks to the low carbonation, gives it a very smooth and creamy feel.

Even though I'm taking a self-imposed break from rye beers, this was extremely good! If you like Rye Beers or if you're looking for a different take on the Barleywine style, this is definitely worth checking out.

Brau Brothers Rye Wine - 9.25/10