When I ran across this brew over the summer, I was delighted to see a rye lager in the beer cooler and a bit perplexed at the same time because I'd never heard of Yazoo Brewing. Yazoo Records, yes; Yazoo Brewing, no. Looking them up, I asked myself if a Nashville brewery was truly trying to make inroads into Wisconsin. I thought that, here in 2024, unless your brewery has a cachet known throughout Christendom, you don't expand too far from your homebase. Then I read the fine print and saw that it was a collaboration with Leinenkugel's as part of Yazoo's 20th anniversary celebration. Now this made more sense.
The rye lager is one of the great neglected bastard children of the brewing world. I still lament not being able to get Hoss every autumn and occasionally consider petitioning some government agency to rectify this terrible situation. And so, when I see one available, I am quick to fork over some of my filthy lucre.
Having read the fine print on the front of the label, I then neglected to do the same on the back where the text boasted that the beer was "generously hopped" with the Cascade variety. While I am not anti-Cascade, I do normally interpret their presence as something of a warning sign, namely to expect an American hopping regimen that gives a lot of fruity taste. My apprehension wasn't that my tongue would OD on grapefruit flavors as much as the citrus taste would overwhelm the rye.
Again, the label was the clue to it all. It said "lager" with the word "pilsner" nowhere to be seen. My understanding of beer taxonomy is that, when an America craft brewer designates their beer a "lager", they mean an American light lager like Miller/Coors/Bud with no expectation of subtle malt goodness being implied. It's a lawnmower beer or a craft beer to appease Miller/Coors/Bud drinkers. On the other hand, "pilsner" tends to mean the beer stands a chance of having a nice grain flavor with some attempt to balance malt and hop. Presumably River Rye'd would be a showcase for the hops.
Well, too late as I had brought the six-pack home. Iacta alea est.
River Rye'd looked either like your typical American light lager such as Miller or Bud or a fine pilsner, depending on your disposition. It was a lovely light yellow and clear as day. My pour yielded a very nice, loose head of brilliant white foam that lasted a little while. There were, as you can see, some bubbles inside. The aroma was ambiguous but delightfully so. Those hops gave pine and citrus scents but there was some cracker to be had too. A very nice start. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all, if I was able to smell some malt.
My lingering reservations aside, I eagerly took a sip and discovered a light-medium body with a healthy dose of fizz. Waves of pine and grapefruit cascaded over my tongue while a modicum of flavor of grain did its best to undergird the ostentatious display of hops. Sweetness was minimal.
For the finish, the hops lingered, grapefruit first followed by pine, as the malty base, such as it was, faded leaving a mild bitterness and only the barest hint of dryness.
River Rye'd was much as I suspected it would be after having read the label in full: it was like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale without the strong malt backbone. The Cascade hops took center stage here. While I was disappointed that the grains generally and the rye specifically were muffled by the hops, I still enjoyed the beer. But one per session was enough for me as the hops were just a little too generous.
Junk food pairing: I recommend pairing River Rye'd, should you still have some around, with a big bad of Ruffles Flamin' Hot Cheddar and Sour Cream chips. The heat will take the edge off the pine while all that dairy adds a nice, mellow tasting counterpoint to the grapefruit.
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