Review: Nonsuch Belgian Dark Rye Ale with Brettanomyces (2018)

Ah, it's finally time for a new Nonsuch review! The last time I was able to do a review of one of their beers nearly a year ago with their BU50 Anniversary Ale, a Munich-style ale brewed to honour Brandon University's 50th anniversary last year. Since then, I haven't been able to get any of their beers as they typically don't ship to Brandon..  and I'm never in Winnipeg.

I picked up a bottle of their Belgian Dark Rye Ale with Brettanomyces while visiting the brewery a few weeks ago, which was the first time I visited the brewery since their taproom opened up. I don't have much information about the beer but it seems to be pretty straight forward - A Belgian-style Dark Ale brewed with rye malt and Brett yeast. I'm only expecting awesomeness knowing how solid Nonsuch's beers generally are.

Appearance: Pours dark brown with a bit of a muddiness to it and a bit of a cola brown hue near the bottom of the glass. The head is light to moderate and with yellow-to-beige hue to it.

Aroma: Sweet and aromatic. The first thing I get is the presence of banana and bubble gum, giving off a classic Belgian ale vibe to it. There's a heavy dose of caramel for sweetness, a hint of booziness, a tad bit of nuttiness to it. Neither the rye or Brett really pops out in this beer so far but nothing wrong with that. There is a slight yeastiness here and a hint of spiciness.. so it is there but reminds me mostly of their standard Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

Taste: While I didn't notice much of the Rye or Brett in the aroma, I do get it here. This time around, the Brett is fairly subtle but has a slight woodiness to it, with it giving a slight sour presence as well as a bit of a funkiness to it. The Rye gives off a bit of a spiciness to it, like a hint of pepper presence. The beer is sweet with a caramel presence to it, notes of bubble gum, a bit of nuttiness, and notes of pear, raisins and figs.

Overall Thoughts: While this is a beer brewed with Brettanomyces, this definitely won't overwhelm those who aren't a fan of wild yeast-style beers as it's fairly light yet compliments the rest of the beer to a great extent. It's nowhere near as funky as I'd expect, but it has a nice complexity of dark fruits and rye that make it quite enjoyable to sip and savour. Solid beer by the folks over at Brasserie Nonsuch! 9.0% ABV.