Founders Charred Reds Rye

On tap at the Glass Nickel at the GTMW pre-party Dark red color. Malty aroma with hints of oak. Taste is tannic, abrasive, and alcoholic. Nice mouthfeel, but the abrasive and alcoholic nature detract.

MMBGF07. Pours dark amber color with a thin off white head. Aroma is caramel, oaky, grapefruit, cedar. Flavor is oak, spicy rye, grapefruit, orange, floral. Body is medium, medium carbonation, finished somewhat dry and spicy. Nice stuff!

MBGF07. Clear amber body with a tiny white head, fading. The aroma is grapefruit, tangerine, table leg oak and caramel. The flavor is spicy rye, grapefruit, floral, orange peel and sweet oak. Medium body is soft with light carbonation.

On tap at Founders (which implied that this beer was 7-10% ABV, so i put 8.5% on the site--fix if necessary)...pours black cherry in color/perhaps ruby-like with small white head..aroma is very similar to the Reds Rye, only its hops are more soft (syrupy, resinous, and of grapefruit)...flavor however, adds a major tannic quality to this beer...it would seem to me that this beer was aged with charred oak chips, rather than a barrel (similar oak backbone to that of the Backwoods Bastard that they offer)...light grapefruit and piney hops complement the subtle, creamy oak backbone..light smoke present as well..very good..(aging has seemed to kill the hop punch that the original beer offered) ...this beer was also much more light on the palate, and has lost most of its carbonation from its ancestor--the Reds Rye...simpgood stuff from a great brewery..

GTMW Cask Tent. I have Charred Red’s Rye, but this appears to the be the beer. Reminded of the flavors of a good rye whiskey: oak, vanilla, spice, and a bit of cinder. Presence of hops was more pronounced than that of the typical Red Rye, although honestly, everything seemed a bit more pronounced. Body has some plum and cherry flavors with clove and a bit of a chipotle lick kick. Finish is hop cleansing.

I couple pints at the Glass Nickle event before the GTMW, courtesy of the Founder’s guys.
This beer was really a lot like the original, but with a very complimentry chared bourbon character that I didn’t think came to the front just as you swallow. All the rye spice character, and wonderful fruity hops were there. Medium easy to drink body. The barrel character never detracted.

If I understood correctly, what they did was scrape the char out of a barrel, and used it in a sort of tea bag. Also, they Founder’s guys called this Charred Reds Rye, not Oak Aged.

MiBGF 07: From a charred oak barrel and poured a reddish amber hue with a small ring of foam. The aroma has notes of rye, caramel, smoke, apricot, vanilla, pepper, aromatic hops and some alcoholic vapors. The taste has rich sweet fruits and dark malts with a MILD smoky and peppery finish. There is some bitterness also found within but more window dressing than anything else. The mouth feel is smooth but there is some bite around the edges, oily and lush. Very nicely done has the charred barrel influence does not dominate. I would love to have this in a bottle.

Sampled at the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Summer Beer Festival 2007. Slightly hazed reddish brown with a subtle tan head, thinning quickly. Oaky vanilla gives an added light sweetness I don’t recall from the unoaked version. I can’t smell the rye too much, but I do still pick out some wel proportioned floral hops over the decent maltiness. thick creamy mouthfeel, full with small bubbles. Not at all fizzy. Bourbon isn’t nearly as apparent as the vanilla and oak. Rye and herbal hops come into balance with a big ass malt. The whole thing is supported by that strong vanilla sweetness. Long oaky finish, more bourbon then earlier. A nice beer indeed. Good use of bourbon barrels.