Rye Bock (Left Hand)

I pulled this rye lager out of my cellar on that rainy day this month that I brewed my smoked rye ale. I wanted to do a lager, but I didn't want to deal with the temperature control, then I saw this. This convinced me that rye and lager does mix.

General Thoughts
Look and Smell: This dark red brew poured very thick. It had a rich, slightly off-white head. I smelled the rye spice and a dark fruit.

Taste: It was creamy and very carbonated. A dark cherry taste made it slightly tart. This complemented the rye, which was clearly showcased. The spice and tartness was smoothed out by the malt. This was something special. I never would have thought dark fruit, rye, and lager would go so well together. Unfortunately this was a limited release in the Big Mo' series, and I'll probably never see it again. Good thing I got two bottles!

From the bottle:
Our Rye Bock is a pleasant departure from traditional bocks and rye beers. The use of malted rye in beer finds its origin in Bavaria. We here at Left Hand use a bottom fermenting lager yeast, parted with a hop profile of classic German bocks. Our Rye Bock gets a wonderful tangy spiciness from the rye, accompanied by dried cherry aromas in the nose. It is a beer of great flavor with a long, savory finish.