Jopen B.V. - Don’t tRye This @Home!

Our fourth and final huge Jopen release of this special offer, Don’t tRye This @Home! is brewed with wheat and rye—hence the “rye wine” distinction. This is a full-on expression of rye, with 70% rye in the malt bill. This version gets aged in a combination of Caol Ila Scotch whisky barrels, as well as Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. A huge, way-out-there rye wine to close this already out-there special offer.

This pours a medium amber-brown color with light tan foam; solid lacing around the edges of the glass. Significant spicy rye and candied caramelization lead the aromatics, with those Caol Ila and bourbon barrels providing significant amounts of peat, vanilla, and toasty oak. Plenty of plush, warming alcohol alongside dried dark fruits and almond notes.

Full-bodied mouthfeel here—but who’s surprised at 12.5% ABV? Rye-heavy beers can be pretty intense (and challenging to brew), but the blend of Caol Ila, Heaven Hill, and Buffalo Trace barrels works beautifully in concert with everything going on here. We found a vibrant peatiness, decadent dark caramelization, and lightly spicy rye that continue to amplify as this warms, but the potent core combo of sweet caramel and robust dried fruits steers things. A beautifully out-there beer in a special offer full of them. Long finish of spicy rye, toasty oak tannins, and a lingering hit of peaty whisky and caramel. Spend some time with this one.

Our bottles had a best-before date in 2041. As with all four of these special-offer beers, you can feel comfortable continuing to cellar them for a special moment. This immense rye wine seems potentially best suited as a nightcap to share; like the latter version of Sin & Remorse, it’d work in tandem with cigars (we’d go maduro wrapper), and maybe a dram of whiskey to counterpoint the barrel impact. Could also totally work alongside smoky, barbecued fare.