Three Ryes Men came out of the blue and was as pleasant a surprise as the best Christmas gifts.

It is an outstanding example of whiskey barrel-aged beer, with the characters of rye and bourbon easily discernible without overpowering the other flavors and aromas.

Reuben’s describes the beer as a “rye wine” because it is essentially a rye barleywine. For those of you who have had barleywines, Three Ryes Men is similar, except for its highlights of rye and bourbon, rather than wheat or barley.

It is thick, rich, caramelly, malty, sweet, lightly carbonated and has a thick, creamy mouthfeel, like most barleywines.

As befitting its name, the rye especially stands out. Rye whiskey has its own flavor, distinct from bourbon or Scotch whiskeys. Describing the flavor of rye is like trying to explain how the taste of a strawberry differs from a mango or a cherry. Then there is the common misconception that anything containing rye has a caraway flavor, which is not true at all. Caraway is simply a popular addition to rye bread.

Three Ryes Men is a sweet beer that is somewhat tempered by a bitter and dry finish, but the sugar and light carbonation do put it into dessert beer territory. This is not a beer you would want to drink in quantity or on a hot summer day.

The aroma was mostly of caramel, rye and bourbon, with slight alcohol notes. There was no subtlety as far as the barrel aging, yet it still allowed for other flavors to come through. Three Ryes Men is excellent whether you’re looking for a winter warmer or a whiskey barrel-aged beer.

But wait — there’s more! Reuben also released a Breakfast Stout (8.4 percent ABV), accurately described on the label as an imperial milk stout with coffee. The lactose (milk) sugar comes through, as does a wonderful coffee roast aroma and flavor (provided by Kuma Coffee of Seattle, Wash.).

The bitterness from the roast is medium and mixed with the cream flavor and use of oats, it allows the ale to go down smoothly. Rich chocolate malt is the base of the main flavor.

Reuben’s is a smaller brewery that is only distributing in Washington and the Portland, Oregon, area.

Read more at source Post Crescent