Rock Bridge "Rye You Lil' Punk" Rye IPA

Beer in a can? Well, the only other one I've had while writing this blog was Heady-Topper, and it was a pretty good beer. I generally avoid beer in cans, as my experience with cans is that the metallic taste tends to leach into the beer. Particularly hoppy beers, or very complex beers, can avoid this like heavy metal music can avoid tape hiss - just drown it out.

The frothy head eventually settles to a pillowy mass atop a dark and murky gold-tinted brown. It is one of the prettiest beers I've seen in a while. The aroma wafts a good distance, and it reeks of a delicate mixture of sweet malt and floral hops. It is a very enticing smell, and I'm very much looking forward to drinking it, but I'll start with a single sip.

That first sip brings a little pine, a little floral, a little sweet, a bit caramel, and possibly a tiny bit of citrus. The effect is nice and balanced, which is not entirely expected. I expect a beer that has a lot of hops to be off-balance when it comes to a sip, but this one is almost smooth, even with the sharpness of the hops.

A full, manly drink shows a tip-in of light carbonation and floral and citrus hops. They aren't biting, at least not yet; they may already be tempered by the malt. The middle is as smooth as the sip was - it has a significant amount of flavor, with the floral hops taking center stage and a caramel and sweet hops keep the bitterness at bay admirably. As the finish approaches, the malt morphs into a a kind of spice that walks alongside the hops as they seem to turn to pine. Bitterness lays around on the tongue for a little while after the beer is gone, but a sweetness on the lips cures that quick enough.

Bottom Line: Beer from a can? Yes, it can work well.

4.0/5