The Bruery – More Details On Bois Anniversary Ale

Rye has the sometimes unfortunate reputation of being a kind of whiskey equivalent of Old Spice or Stetson Cologne; something cheap and rough around the edges that is best left to your grandfather – but that comparison has some value: rye is an American classic and like the aforementioned colognes it’s simultaneously comforting and difficult to ignore when you’re experiencing it. — Rory Snipes

As you have seen on our Bruery Facebook page and Tasting Room Facebook page, May is our anniversary month and we are celebrating turning five years old with tons of fun stuff. We’ve been selling one archived beer everyday, offering up specialty flights, putting some rare kegs on draft, getting some one-time-only deliveries out into the market, and if that wasn’t enough, we’re releasing five variations of our anniversary ale, Bois.

As with bourbon, rye popped up in the states largely because the Scots-Irish and Germans that settled in our eastern regions brought with them their knowledge of distilling whiskey. Though they knew how to work with barley and rye, both of which did grow in these regions, rye proved to grow more heartily than barley, which took some time to get acclimated to its new home in the states. Because of this, larger portions of rye made its way into more whiskeys in the Pennsylvania and Maryland regions, while indigenous corn found its way into recipes later, especially in Kentucky’s whiskey-friendly environment.

"One of the characteristics that distinguishes rye from it’s counterparts in the whiskey world is it’s spice profile – a good rye will have pronounced notes of pink and green peppercorns, dried lemon, old leather and musty wood," explains Rory Snipes, our friend and whiskey aficionado who has developed spirit programs at Seattle’s Brouwer’s Cafe and LA’s Boneyard Bistro.  Just as bourbon must be at least 51% corn, "rye whiskey" by law, must be made of a mash of least 51% rye.

But some ryes can have higher amounts of corn and some bourbons can have higher amounts of rye, making distinguishing each spirit a little trickier. "I try to find ryes that have more pronounced rye characteristics. Ryes tend to be leaner and less sweet than Bourbons, and for that reason are often an easier way to introduce people who are usually gin or vodka drinkers to the world of whiskey. The cloying quality of some bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys are often cited as a reason for people’s disenchantment with whiskey as a whole." If you prefer a less sweet whiskey, rye is known to be spicier and fruitier than bourbon, which can taste sweeter and rounder due to the high levels of corn in the mash.