Flossmoor Station Black Moon Rye-Sin

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Stout
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

On tap at Flossmoor, 9/22/07. Very deep black color, hints of red around the corners, tan foam with great lacing and retention. Aroma is huge on the dark malts, maybe some tiny bit of hops in there somewhere. Flavor again very big on the malts, the rye comes through very nicely right before the hops hit. Silky smooth texture, only 5.5%? Give me more!

Draft at the brewpub. Poured an opaque black color. Head was tan with good retention and lacing. Aroma was of chocolate, light coffee, sprucy/grapefruity hops, and a dash of brown sugar. Full bodied and very roasty. Espresso, dark chocolate, and burnt stick flavors. There was also a touch of citrusy hops. Great beer. Loved the combination of hops and robust roasty malt.

I split a growler with SurlySober, who picked this up over his weekend travels. SurlySober thought this beer was similar to Founder’s Black Rye, and I respectfully disagree. While I really liked both beers, I thought Black Rye had more of the "burned pizza crust" character I prize in roasty stouts although Black Moon Rye-Sin certainly had plenty. Black Moon Rye-Sin had a lot more hoppiness than Black Rye, and in fact considerably more hop character than any stout I’ve had in recent memory (maybe ever). The end result is a beer that’s extremely malty, with a ton of dry roastiness, but is also fairly heavily hopped. It is really quite good and highly recommended. This beer is an opaque black with plentiful tan head. Aroma is very roasty, a bit sour, and surprisingly hoppy. Flavor is as is I’ve described. Mouthfeel is exceedingly dry, so much so that it hurts drinkability a bit but this is still a very good beer.

Draught at the Pub 6/26/07. I came in for dinner, and upon hearing I’d have to wait until eight I stuck around to get one of the first of these served. It was worth the wait. An opaque dark brown with a healthy light brown head. Laced the glass considerably. Roast aroma with obvious rye character. Very tasty. Flavor was potently roast malt, rye was very forward and pleasantly dry.

On tap @ the Brew pub: Pours black with a fluffy tan head. Aroma, roasted malts, rye, chocolate and some burnt notes. Flavor, roasted malts, rye, spices, chocolate and some earthy bitterness on the end. Very nice beer.

12 oz. glass. My 75th Flossmoor Station Rating! Solid black in glass with brown edges and a pillowy tan head. In appearance, it is pretty much a "5." Mellow stout smell with no harshness and a little pinch of sour. Taste is very bright, well-roasted malt but I say it’s minus the overdone "coffee" or "chocolate" flavor. Just standout stout maltiness. Add to that a perfect compliment from the rye and hops: well-settled and prepared to age out, but still pretty boisterous. First just a tangy pepper and rye bread taste, then a delayed action pucker in the middle from a bit of pine, but overall, a great fresh hop flavor. I know my impressions are directly opposite those of my beer buddies below, but it still equals out to a great brew, perhaps the best session stout to come out of this establishment.

A Stout brewed with the hophead in mind - Very nice pour, thick and black with a bubbly yellowed tan head. Nice lacing. The aroma is quite a snootful, grapefruit and pine over coffee, roasted malts and barley, and a splash of chocolate. The blend of solid roasting and spiciness create the illusion that the beer is much stronger than its 5.5% ABV. Inhale as you drink to get the full enjoyment. This Stout is rich with roasted flavors followed closely by a peppery heat on the tongue (rye is good!) and a mouthful of PNW bitterness that lingers well into the finish. My personal preference is for IPAs, barley wines, Saisons, and strong golden Belgian ales, but this brew can easily make me go dark for a drinking session. And with its lower alcohol content, it’s quite sessionable to boot. Nice work.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Station, Flossmoor, IL<font size=-1>

Unusually intense PNW hop aroma for a stout...I’m liking this already! Great creamy pour with a rocky brown head floating proudly. The flavors of coffee, chocolate and caramel are pretty rich and the rye adds a chewy spiciness that’s just great. Hop bitterness is pretty strong. The texture is really creamy and smooth. This is a big winner!