Rye Knot

A few years ago, during a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario, a pal and I ducked into a little brewery called Taps on Queen for a couple of cold ones (see reviews here and here). This week, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Taps, now billed as Taps Brewing Company, has managed to navigate the bureaucratic minefield and land a beer in the provincially-run liquor stores. Rye Knot is a rye pale ale. The 473mL can billed it as "the whisky of beers." At 5% and 30 IBUs, it's middling in strength and bitterness. The beer proved to be a next to clear with a handsome copper tone and a sudsy eggshell head.

Grainy to the nose, with roasted malt elements and a whiff of something stronger than ale, Rye Knot delivered a pleasant smell. Its flavour started sweet with a well-roasted and grainy trajectory, but quickly angled toward a spicy hops 'n' rye finish.

Oddly, I wasn't wild about Rye Knot after my first sip, but by the third or fourth (sip, not can), I was really enjoying it. True to the copy on the can, this beer had elements reminiscent of a whisky--spice and sweetness rolled in together.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.