Tag: Rusty Rail Brewing Company

Rusty Rail Brewing Fog Monster Review

Rusty Rail Fog Monster

Rusty Rail Brewing Company out of Mifflinburg, Penn. has been around for a few years now, opening their doors in 2013. Currently, they are only a regional beer but have been growing with six year-round offerings, four seasonal brews, and soon to be four limited releases. Up for review today is Fog Monster, a New England IPA.

Fog Monster pours a hazy, foggy, pale orange-yellow. There was a foamy, white head that rose to the height of about one finger at its peak. There was little carbonation seen rising to the top due to the foggy nature of the brew. The aroma was surprisingly subtle. There were some tropical hoppy notes but it wasn’t very strong as some other IPAs or NEIPAs.

The first sip features a light citrus flavor from the hops quickly followed by notes of malt and cracker. The mouthfeel is on the light side for this style of beer and the finish is on the dry side. There is a hop bitterness that lingers a bit at the back end as well. You would be surprised to find out this beer clocks in at a healthy 6.8% ABV as there is a light feeling to this brew. The carbonation is on the medium to high side, perhaps lower end of the high scale. The glass laced beautifully throughout the session.

Overall, this is a decent beer. It would be great on a warm summer day as it is light and refreshing with a slight tropical hoppy flavor. As far as IPAs go, this is a light IPA as far as flavor goes. If you love the hops this won’t be for you. If you like a little hops this might be up your alley. There is a heavier malt presence at times. I would really classify this as a Light IPA more than anything else. It is refreshing and is easy to drink. I just don’t know if I would put this in the IPA family but I would buy this again.

Rusty Rail Brewing Train Wreck Imperial APA Review

Rusty Rail Train Wreck

Rusty Rail Brewing out of Mifflinburg, Pa. is a small operation that began brewing in 2013. It wasn’t until 2015 that they really began putting out barrels to meet demand. They are still a small operation, with about 8,000 barrels produced every year and they are sold only in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at the moment. One of their more popular offerings is their Train Wreck Imperial APA which is a cross between an India Pale Ale and an American Pale Ale.

Train Wreck Imperial IPA stood out because of the label at first. It’s a great label with two trains colliding and hops exploding from the wreck. Points for the art work there. The beer itself poured a light gold or honey color, almost burnt orange. There was a nice white head of about two fingers at its height. You don’t notice many bubbles through the haze of the beer. You can definitely notice the hops aroma with notes of citrus and grass.

The first sip offers you an interesting hop variety. You can tell there are some citra hops in there. The beer starts off with a little fruity tang followed by hoppy bitterness you would expect with a pale ale of any sort. The fruit has an orange, lemon, grapefruit fusion to it. It feels medium bodied in the mouth but kind of smooth with just the slightest tingle from the carbonation. There is some fine lacing to the glass that is light but clearly evident. The one inconsistency I noticed was that there were some sips that had a bit more of an alcohol aftertaste while others didn’t feature that at all. It does clock in at 7.7% ABV so you expect a slight alcohol taste at times but the fact that not every sip was like that was a little surprising. There is a dry, hoppy finish to it that makes you want another sip.

Overall, this was a pretty interesting and fun beer to drink. I bought a six pack of it last week and have slowly been giving it the run through. It has actually gotten better with each beer. The beer has a pleasant aroma as you drink with the hops slowly giving way to grassy notes. The flavor was nice and inviting and while it may not be the most spectacular APA ever made it is good and fun and the art gives you something to stare at as you drink. I would buy this one again.