Beer Reviews: Saltfire Mount Naomi – Cab Franc Pilsner and Bewilder Lord of the Ryes 

• Mike Riedel

Saltfire Mount Naomi - Cab Franc Pilsner: This is a collaboration with Mt Naomi Vineyards in Cache Valley, Utah. This wine and beer hybrid boasts a 49% blend of Marechi Foch and Corot Noir grapes and 51% Pilsner Malt.

The beer is served with a deep Cabernet color, full of ruby and purple hues. Very little foam survives the pour from the draft faucet, with a trace of lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma of the brew is rather light overall, and consists mainly of dark grapes and some harvest fruits. Along with these aromas comes a little bit of a cracker smell and a hint of floral hop and hibiscus.

The taste begins with a crisp grape and cracker flavor, with some other light harvest fruit flavors mixed within. There is a rather decent showing of Cabernet, which grows slightly more intense as the flavor advances. With a little bit of herb and more flowery flavors coming at the end, one is left with a nice and clean floral red wine flavor to linger on the tongue. The body of the brew is super light and crisp, with a moderate carbonation level.

Verdict: This is a rather easy-drinking wine/beer hybrid. Though it's primarily a beer, you really get little of the pilsner base beer, which is to be expected from such a light lager. Overall, a nice semi–crisp beer and wine hybrid.

Bewilder Lord of the Ryes: I often talk about hops and how complex blends can create the most brilliant fruity flavors in IPAs. Today, we have a masterclass in malt, and how it can be just as effective in creating flavors that can transcend the typical flavors of beers as well.

This stout pours a small bubbly but thick mocha-colored head, with good retention that doesn't seem to fade, messy lacing, almost pitch-black beer and nice legs. The nose brings a pleasant wave of dark chocolate and cocoa, which transitions into caramel. Next, vanilla and nougat round out a very enticing aroma. The rye malt here really transformed the generally roasty cocoa notes you'd expect from a stout; I'd almost mistaken it for fudge.

The taste brings more of everything from the nose: big nougat out front, with some cocoa flavors as well. Nice espresso bitterness comes through next, with spicy rye malt notes enhancing the overall impressions of the stout. At mid-palate, dark chocolate cocoa and fudgy characters emerge, along with some caramel and more roasted malt, followed by mild roast coffee and then raw vanilla bean notes with a little rye whiskey. There's no whiskey in this stout, but the rye malt combined with the 6.66% alcohol gives that impression. As we got toward the end of this flavor rollercoaster, I experienced a hint of baking spices, fudgy cocoa and layers of cookie dough. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, rich, creamy and almost chewy, with medium to lighter carbonation but on point, with just a touch of alcohol.

Verdict: Beer like this is why I love rye malt so much. Less than 20% of this stout is rye, but the enhancement it provides takes this from a standard American stout to a complex year-round stout that can be enjoyed even when you're not in a dark beer mood. There's so much excellent malt character here, you owe it to yourself to try some.

Bewilder tells me that Lord of the Ryes will likely make it into Bewilder's regular lineup, but until it's official, I'd grab some for the holidays or just to have on hand. It's in 16-ounce cans at Bewilder. The Mount Naomi - Cab Franc Pilsner is 5.0% ABV, and only available on draft. No word yet on if this will be available for growler fills, as it's a very small-batch beer.

As always, cheers!