BREW PACKS A PUNCH
If you’re partial to the strong, dark, silent type, it’s easy to warm to this seasonal ale
WINTER is the time to indulge in darker beers and some of the best are seasonal limited releases. From Mountain Goat comes the Rare Breed range, including their latest offering Rye Fighter.
Being a double IPA, there’s no escaping the fact this is a very hoppy beer but surprisingly it is not overbearing — you don’t feel like you’re drinking fruit salad.
It has a rich copper colour with a frothy, slightly thin, white head. There is a citrus nose with just a hint of malt. Again you know there is a good measure of hops in this from the aroma, but it isn’t confronting. There are standard pales that have a stronger nose.
The first mouthful delivers on the hops with a citrus/ fruitiness but that gives way reasonably quickly to a mouthfilling richness. There’s a slight degree of malt to add complexity to the taste combined with just enough bitterness in the aftertaste to cleanse the palate.
This is a smooth and easy beer to drink, but being a double IPA, it is strong — 7.8 per cent.
Yes that’s right, it is double the strength of a mid and more than half as strong again as a regular beer.
It provides a wonderful warming glow on the way down but it is a heavier style of beer and there’s no denying it will creep up on you.
In saying that, it is a “closing beer” — one to have at the end of the day, while you sit back, unwind and reflect on life ( just before you nod off).
It goes well with a tasty cheese (if you have to have it with anything)
As far as double IPAs go, Mountain Goat’s Rye Fighter is a knockout.