Beer Reivew: Hi-Fi Rye (Batch 1)

Reviewing the Hi-Fi Rye (Batch 1) from Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery out of Flossmoor, Illinois. This is the base beer of the Batch 1 Barrel Aged Hi-Fi Rye.

Score: 60

Batch 1 bottle served in a plastic taster cup and enjoyed on 07/28/12. Review is from iPhone notes I jotted down at my birthday bottle share.

Appearance: Pours a much more “cloudy” caramel color than either of the barrel-aged vintages. A lot more ruby transparencies are apparent. Pours a thin bubble tan layer than settles to a ring around the glass. Below average lacing, average retention. 3.5/5

Smell: Fruity sweet caramel malt and not much else. Faint brown sugar notes. It’s shocking how one-dimensional this beer is considering how complex the barrel-aged version of this vintage was. 3/5

Taste: Sweet and malty caramel water with some faint fruitiness. That’s it. No rye flavor, no dark fruit, no hoppiness. This beer has totally fallen off. Not undrinkable, but so is 312 – why bother? 2/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Sweet and malty. 2.5/5

Overall: I cannot attest for the beer fresh, but the original non-barrel aged vintage has completely fallen off. I recommend skipping this one.

Cost: $10 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.