Tyranena Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels

A solid pour produces a three finger thick, chocolate stained, cream-tan colored head in my Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass. The beer is a dark, concentrated chocolate color, that shows just a flash of light through it if held up directly to the light. The aroma is interesting, mainly b/c it is a bit different than I was expecting; there is quite a bit of spiciness from the rye character, a touch of peat smoke, notes of concentrated molasses, burnt caramel notes, some aromas similar to prunes left for too long under the broiler and a finish that has been liberally dusted with coffee grounds, toasted whole grain bread and cocoa powder. There is a touch of earthy, slightly moldy, mustiness in the nose, but it seems to only fleetingly be noticeable. The aroma has hardly any overt whiskey barrel notes to it all though. I made the mistake of swirling my beer, the aroma that emanates from the beer is absolutely foul and smells like a mix of rank toe cheese, heavily moldy, stagnant, swamp-water and cheese that has just gone horribly wrong. Luckily this note seems to dissipate and as long as you don’t overly disturb the beer is not all that noticeable in the aroma.

Extremely thick and viscous for a beer of this strength and a definite influence of the rye. The beer has a burnt sweetness to it as well as a finish that provides ample roast grain character in the form of dark cocoa powder, lightly burnt grain husks, dark roast coffee and lightly astringent roast grain. This has quite a bit of tartness to it as well that seems to be product of the carbonation, in fact a swirl of the beer seems to confirm this (even though it releases a noxious cloud of swamp gas) as it becomes much less tart once more of the carbonation is released. Cocoa and coffee notes seem to play a big role in defining the flavor profile, though the texture is heavily influenced by the viscous rye.

It is interesting how much the tartness contributed by the carbonation is played up in this beer. Something about the ingredient mix seems to accentuate the light acidity that is normally contributed by carbonic acid. I am really surprised how un-dominant the Rye-Whisky character is here, though I think the beer is probably better for it being subtle, at least in my book. The aroma has quite a Jekyll and Hyde character to it as well; as long as you don’t disturb it, the nose can be decent if not a bit interesting, but if roused it gets aggressively foul really quickly. As a whole I would say the aroma is average; it is decent to enjoyable or on the flip side fairly repugnant. If I hadn’t ever roused the beer I would have been reasonably happy with this beer, but then I would have been stuck with the slightly out of place, accentuated carbonic acid bite. Basically beware the aroma on this beast, but it still is a pretty enjoyable experience over all and I would definitely have this beer again.

Thanks Ogglethorp: Pours a mahogany brown with quickly dissipating tan head. Chocolate, dry roasted malts and rye on the tongue, with a sweet malty finish. This is delicious, and not overdone.

Vanilla, roast malt and whiskey in the nose. Great complimentary blend of rye, whiskey, and roast malt over chocolately sweetness. This is a great application of barreling to a beer because it’s not overdone and fits in well with the rest of the beer.

5/14/2008
Bottle from Ryan This one I have wanted to try for a decent amount of time. Based on what it looked like through the bottle, I had no idea it was going to pour out as dark as it did. Smell is full of rye, some alcohol, some whiskey notes, oak, sugars, coffee, caramel, chocolate, just plain awesome smelling. Taste is smooth and rich with plenty of whiskey notes, some vanilla, roasted malts, coffee, toffee, chocolate, just real smooth and real easy to drink. Almost like drinking a chocolate bar full of Rye. Good shit, real good.

12 fl oz bottle (Bottled on who knows, but somehow Craig found a date), from Juelze drank by myself. Thanks a ton Ryan! Tyranena Legendary Wisconsin Beer Lake Mills, Wisconsin; Brewers gond Wild! - A Series of Big, Bold, Ballsy Beers. Dirty Old Man, Style: Imperial Rye Porter Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels. Statement of Composition: 40% malt beverage aged in rye whiskey barrels, 60% malt beverage. Brewed and Bottled by Tyranena Brewing Company LLC Lake Mills, Wi 53551, www.tyranena.com. 12 Fluid Ounces. CT, DE, VT, CA Cash Refund, IA, ME, NY, OR, MA, 5c, MI, 10c. Government Warning: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of Alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car of operate machinery, and may cause health problems. Gimme a sponge bath. Rating #111 for this beer. Drank from a stone imperial stout snifter. Bottle came via UPS ground. Was shipped on approx 5/5/2008. Consumed on 5/14/2008. The drivers name who delivered it was Rich. I did not have to sign for it. It was in box 1 of 2 that I got from Ryan. The box had a lot of tape on it, and it was stuffed with Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap. Very good packaging job. Thanks for this beer. Rating number 1469 for me.

Dirty Old Man "Gimme A Sponge BAth!" Nearly turning the corner on 40, I wonder if this is where I’m headed...et tu, Rob? Dark brown in color, beautiful,. toasty tan head keeps command above...lovely looking... I get the rye, roasty and dry...nicely toasted. Dusted cocoa powder... Taste: a chocolate bomb, with a muted explosion, dry rye reigns it in. Simply put: someone put peanut butter in my chocolate! Cool, classical, and utterly satisfactory...not too sweet, not too rich, but with very prominent booziness. Rye porters seem to be the way to go...put some in a whiskey barrel and you’ve got me on a leash! Cool...lightly sweet, big time dry, full on flavor, expanse satisfaction. Hotcha!