Rye Pale Ale Take II - Tasting Notes

I brewed up this Rye Pale Ale back in  Mid September as my first kegged beer.  I designed the recipe as a low alcohol beer that could be readily consumed in volume as a session beer.  I targeted to be 4.33% but FG ended up a higher than expected at 3.68%.  This was just fine as it was even more sessionable and the extra FG points likely helped keep it from seeming watery.

Making the beer was a bit of a challenge as I found the reused yeast that pitched (Wyeast 1028 London Ale Yeast) was very slow starting.  I thought I'd be safe pitching without a starter.  I had to pitch a second jar of the yeast a couple days after brewing to get things going.  After fermentation had completed the beer formed a pellicle indicating an infection.  I'd initially thought an odd flavor I detected was due to this but I came to second guess that.

I hoped the beer fairly heavily with Cluster and some home grown Cascades.  I bittered to maybe 30 IBU and then used 5 oz of hops at flameout/whirlpool, 2 oz of fermentor dry hops, and 2 oz in the keg.  The Cascades were kind of a wet hop (or only partially dried).  When I ran them between my hands they had a really lovely cascade aroma but just smelling them intact had a somewhat odd aroma.  I believe this is what I initially blamed the infection for causing.  Had trouble pinning it down (had described it as mineral and plastic - neither of which my wife agreed with).  It may be that sort of vegetal would be an accurate descriptor. 

I'd considered dumping the beer but decided to proceed to keg at 12 PSI.  I took quite a few samples in the first week and it was reasonably carbonated by the second.  As it aged the hops mellowed a fair amount during the cold aging and as I got used to them I came to enjoy the flavor quite a bit.  Very happy I didn't dump it.

The kegged lasted about a month before I kicked it last night.  Luckily, I captured tasting notes for posterity before that happened

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
•  Hops are the prominent character in the aroma.  They're kind of an odd aroma.  As I've gotten used to it and they've mellowed a bit I've decided they're herbal or floral maybe.  Malt comes through as well.  It is sweet and bready.  I think I pick up an earthy rye character as well.  Tough to pick anything out that I'd call a yeast character but I'm sure it's there but just well integrated with the hops
• Appearance:
• Dark gold in color.  Pours pretty clear.  Depending on how aggressive I am with the pour I can get a few finger head that slowly fades.  It leaves lacing
• Flavor:
• Up front I get the flavor and some sweet malt.  I taste the earthy and spicy rye better than I smell it.  It adds a nice crispness.  The finish has a medium light bitterness.  This is well balanced with malt and lingers for awhile on the palate.  Not really any prominent yeast flavor sticking out.  Also don't really taste anything I would associate with Brett character from the infection
• Mouthfeel:
• A really nice sessionable keg beer.  I've had six pints of this on a brew day and was no worse for ware by the end.  This is exactly the kind of beer I was thinking I wanted to start making.  it is flavorful and complex in addition to drinkable.  I've been impressed by the hop character as it's aged - having the hops in the keg is a real help I think (as is being able to purge the keg of Oxygen)