Well, probably many of you, like me, don’t get ready for Valentine’s Day this early. I know, it’s only one week away. But as you can see by the label on Bell’s Smitten Golden Rye (rye ale, 6% ABV), there is only one petal left on the flower – Does she love me? or love me not?
Display at CR 17 Chalet Party Shoppe
A couple of weeks ago, I ran into Larry Bell at the Eccentric Cafe, and we talked about this new beer (or previously released beer in new packaging). He told me, “You know that the thing that every guy wants most for Valentine’s Day is beer”. Well, I can honestly say, I would love that, but I’m not sure that what my wife would pick what I would love.
If you remember 750 ml corked and caged bottles of Golden Rye in the Bell’s General Store a few months ago, this is the same beer, just packaged for larger distribution. The recipe is one of Larry’s oldest, and was part of a series of rye beers that has been tapped at the Eccentric Café including Black Rye, Rye Stout and Kal-Haven Ale. Now that Smitten Golden Rye is a larger distribution beer, production of this beer has been moved to the Comstock plant.
Smitten Golden Rye pours a slightly hazy golden orange color, and on the nose I picked up plenty of spiciness from the rye, earthiness, and some citrus. In the beginning, the bitterness is most 
present in the taste, but then settles down into some bready malt, and citrus hops on the end. This is actually the first time that I’ve had this beer, and I’m quite impressed with it. I think that this could be one of my new summer lawn mowing beers.
This is the first new regular bottle release since Oarsman Ale debuted as a year round offering in 2010. You can find Smitten Golden Rye at Chalet Party Shoppe and City Wide Liquor locations.
