Third Rail Field 2 Farmhouse Ale

This beer was another pickup from Half Time awhile back. They had a single tall boy sitting on the shelf that was mine for the taking. Let’s see how it went.

ABV: 6.1%

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Rustic French-Belgian yeast, Bavarian & Slovenian noble hops, Pilsen malt.”

Random: My only complaint about the can is that the color resembles Mets blue.

This beer poured with a one finger, white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a lightly cloudy yellow with moderate carbonation visible. The nose had a marked yeast presence. Some light spice (specifically coriander) came through with lemon zest and pulp. The taste had more assertive spice, that was still the same coriander that came through in the nose. Lemon zest was next with some subtle orange pulp notes. After a few sips, I got apricot and peach as well. It was really bright and easy to drink. The body was medium thickness for the style with high carbonation. The finish was lengthy with generous coriander and yeast. I initially bought this can, which was $3.99 ($.25 per ounce), because I loved the look of the can (I know, not a good reason to buy a beer, but still…). After a few sips, I was really happy this came in a tall-boy can because it was a great beer to drink while watching football and had a lot of flavor, but retained its brightness. If I could get this beer locally, I would definitely have it again, but since it’s distributed in New York, you’ll have to head there to get it.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Third Rail Alternate Side

The first bomber release from Third Rail? Absolutely that’s something that I want to try. And wait, it’s a chili stout? Oh, most definitely.

ABV: 8.1%

Style: American Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Our next new beer, Alternate Side, an 8.1% chili pepper-infused American Stout, is sitting in the fermentor as we speak, and should be ready for an early February debut! In addition to a limited number of kegs, this beer will be our very first bottle release, in 22-oz bombers. Brewmaster Loren Taylor-Raymond says ‘Alternate Side is a bold American Stout brewed with a blend of specialty dark malts that delivery a full body and rich flavors of strong coffee, dark caramel, and spicy rye. As those flavors fade the smoke and warmth of aging on Guajillo and Chipotle peppers and Mexican Cinnamon reveal another side to this complex beer.'”

Random: I wonder if my chili peppers are growing. If I have enough, I’m making hot sauce.

This beer poured with a two finger, tan head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing. The body was black with some visible carbonation. The nose was pleasant with dark chocolate and chili, but didn’t have any cinnamon, which was concerning. Roasted malts and coffee were there as well. The taste started with chocolate and roasted malts. It went into cinnamon and then chili pepper at the end of the sip. Coffee came through at the end too. The chiles warmed the throat, but I still wish that they were more assertive in the beer. The booze wasn’t detectable and it had a medium thick body with medium carbonation. It finished rather quickly with smoke, ash and dark chocolate. This was $13.99 for the bomber ($.64 per ounce). I think that was a fair price for a beer that was pretty good. If you still see this on shelves and like the combination of a stout and chili peppers, pick this up.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0