43. Half Acre Baume Hopped Rye Stout

From the Half Acre Brewery in Chicago, IL comes Baume, a limited edition hopped rye stout brewed to commemorate their new brewery at 4257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. As the bottle informs us, it is a “handsomely hopped rye stout.”

Baume is an opaque mahogany—dark brown with hints of red—with the brown head normally indicative of stouts, and the nose is both burnt and roasty. Starting out with spicy rye flavors before moving into hop bitterness and roasted malt flavors, Baume ends with some lingering coffee and roasted malt flavors, as well as slight amounts of bitterness. While there is a full mouthfeel, the beer is only medium bodied—it tastes more like a dark lager or a black beer than it does a stout. As well, it is not as creamy or as heavy as one would expect from a stout. The rye spiciness is a nice touch, and the flavors are well-balanced and interesting, but it needs a bit more body and substance to make it a full-fledged stout. Nonetheless, an interesting and enjoyable beer.

From the Half Acre website: “Big, but not huge at 7%, this American Chocolate Rye Stout fires off a lot of coffee and chocolate notes. Balances well, but rides high on hop character at 60 IBU's while the Rye finishes it dry.”

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 60

(8/12/2009)