Thus Let Us Drink Beer – T-Bone Rye IIPA
T-Bone Brewing was first introduced to me by Peter Bignell when he told me about his son’s brewery while sampling his fantastic Belgrove Whiskey and we were chewing on a pig’s ear in Hobart.
A long story...
Tom Bignell is the man behind T-Bone and having had borderline ideal circumstances with his father having paved the way with him channelling his alchemy in distilling and after trying his hand with homebrewing, he followed his vocation and eventually took the plunge and turned his passion for brews into a profession together with his better half Carla.
Given the whisky royalty family background, I have never had low expectations when it comes to T-Bone’s emissions, their portfolio surmises things on every level no matter if it is their core range of Easy Ale, Pale Ale or Golden Ale.
Being a friend of hoppy brews, the Fruit Bowl IPA caught my attention and despite the IPA market being flooded with expression claiming to have fruity flavours, the name in this instance could not be more accurate. The melange of Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops create a smorgasbord of exciting flavours and every time I feel like I can nail it down, nuances take a left turn and morph into a different director. There is citrus, stone fruity highlights and just the most subtle bitterness that frames it all beautifully.
Needless to say that I was quite excited to learn that the release of a Rye IIPA was on the horizon. While the name is again a telling one, one might think that this expression is much more one-dimensional. Of course there is a heavy focus on rye malt, which anchors the beer, however, the hop overload courtesy of double dry-hopped with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops, makes it a rich and complex IIPA that is reminiscent of English Ales with a spicy rye twist and a hint of toffee.
Paired with a dram of Laphroaig Triple Wood, it proved to be a hell of a satisfying companion that due to how easy it is to drink and its imperial levels of alcohol is dangerously moreish.
