The month of May has been a busy one for the Rocky Ridge team, with new releases surpassing half a dozen. Never mind trying to keep up with drinking them all, we can’t understand how they manage to brew them all! They've delivered us an array of styles that includes a bourbon BA pastry stout, a fruited gose, the hop heavy and the winter warming.
Starting light but fruit heavy is Enter the Dragon (4.5%), a gose dosed generously with dragon fruit, lime and some sweet agave. Clean and refreshing tartness is paired with kiwi fruit and citrus notes, plus a touch of fresh apple. Whilst on the subject of dragons, Dragon Fire (7.5%) is a robust-leaning red IPA with layers of malt complexity. Sticky sweet caramel and some bitterness are bolstered by dank pine, herbaceous character, and all feature on the long, punchy finish.
Rounding out the hoppy offerings is the 90s punk tribute The Shape of Trub to Come, a classic Rocky Ridge spec DIPA landing at 9 percent ABV. It features Citra, Strata, Galaxy and El Dorado hops, yielding citrus and grassy aromatics on a bright, pillowy and juicy base beer.
Moving into darker territory and Rocky Ridge deliver a trio of winter sweeties in the form of a salted caramel stout, Rocka Block chocolate stout and a maple coffee milk stout. The latter two are, respectively, brimming with classic stouty characters but deviate with adjunct influence; Maple Coffee (5.5%) features sweet toffee character atop bitter, espresso like coffee while Rocka Block (5.5%) exudes fudgy, sweet chocolate and a touch of cocoa bitterness. Salted Caramel Stout, on the other hand, is a decadent steady sipper with burnt caramel notes, a noticeable salty edge, marble chocolate and a sizeable 8 percent ABV.
To round out the month of May is a bourbon barrel-aged rendition of fan favourite Chunky Dates (10.0%). Put simply, the brewery's cult pastry stout is amplified tenfold thanks to time in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels. Lactose sweetness is still prominent but cut by integrated bourbon character, booze-soaked raisins and vanilla. A long finish is as expected, carrying malt sweetness and nuttiness from pecans.
Jono Outred
Published May 27, 2022 2022-05-27 00:00:00
