Lake Placid Honey Rye

By Julia Burke, Beer Editor

I enjoyed this summer seasonal from Lake Placid Brewing, a member of the F.X. Matt family of beers, for the first time on a kayak on a gorgeous summer evening last week. Though I enjoy all of Lake Placid’s beers, this one impressed me as a solid example from my least-favorite beer season.

Honey Rye pours a lovely reddish-bronze with a two-finger head, delicate lacing, and good retention sipped from a wheat glass.

The nose shows buckwheat honey, orange peel, and almonds with the sweet bready rye and crisp hops standard for the style.

A full, creamy, smooth palate hits the spot and completes the rye profile, with a crisp, clean finish.

Too often, the term “summer seasonal” seems mistaken for “flavorless macro-style lager” -- the rye element is subtle in this brew but just present enough to lend much-needed palate depth. Damn refreshing on a hot summer day, it’s one of the best offerings from Lake Placid I’ve had in awhile.

Producer: Lake Placid (F.X. Matt Brewing Company)
ABV: 5.0%
Sample Size: 12 oz. bottle (355 mL)
Stemware: Wheat glass
Availability: Seasonal
Price: $8.99/six-pack

Comments

[Raphael Shea]

I think that if beers are covered like wines on the Cork Report, then they should receive ratings just like the wines--let's not insinuate a hierarchy of importance amongst NY's great alcoholic beverages.

[Julia Burke]

Raphael:

Excellent comment. Lenn and I have yet to come to an agreement on beer rating systems; I do not agree with a 100-point system for beer because it is not in mainstream use among craft beer drinkers (I favor the A through F grades used by BeerAdvocate etc.; I don't like the 100 point system for wine either, but that's neither here nor there). I have been leaving beers without numerical ratings until we can come up with an agreeable system.

Do you think we should use the 100-point system? Do you think that it's important to have it be the same rating system that we use for wine? What rating system do you like for beer? What will be most useful and clear? Tell me what you suggest.

I would be the last person on the planet to imply an inherent inferiority of beer. But I am a woman of principle and I do not want to use a certain rating system until I am convinced that it will serve my readers well.

[Raphael Shea]

Julia:

Good points about the trick of how to rate beer. At first I was thinking that the 100 point scale would be best--to put it on an even keel with the wine ratings--but I didn't realize it's not widely adopted. I also have issue with the 100 point scale, so I'm no die hard for that, although it's the easiest system to understand with a snapshot score.

It sounds like the A through F would work simply because it's the standard. I know Lenn recently adopted the 100 point scale for wine because it was the expected standard for that beverage, so the same logic might point to the A to F scale for beer. No sense in forcing a one size fits all scoring for beer and wine--even though I did imply that in my first comment post.

[Jessica]

Julia:
So you've totally peaked my interest and I'm a mission to find this beer! I can't find it in my local Wegman's (Geneva, NY). Where did you happen to run across this? I'm not that far from the Saranac brewery and would be willing to make a trip just to find this beer! Thanks!

[Julia Burke]

Jessica -

It's a great beer and worth seeking out. It's widely available in my hometown of Buffalo, New York, but as for Geneva, you may need to ask one of the stores that carry Lake Placid in Geneva (Wegman's, Byrne Dairy, Halsey's, Tops, Fastrack) why they don't have the new seasonal yet, and they'll contact Lake Placid's distributors (Wright-Wisner, I believe, serves the Rochester area). Sometimes it takes a little kick in the pants from customers to get the retailers to order a new seasonal! You could also take a trip to Rochester if you don't feel like waiting. I made a few phone calls - I'll let you know what I find out.