Belt’s Beer Garden - BrewFC #14: Ryed or Die - Hustle Belt

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After more than nine months since the last BrewFC fight, two more competitors finally take to the ring in this battle of Rye IPAs.

Today’s battle features a pair of Chicago suburban breweries that are just 11 miles apart - Mikerphone Brewing and More Brewing.

Mikerphone, from the northwest suburb of Elk Grove Village, is no stranger to BrewFC fights, as this is their fourth appearance in the ring. They are 2-1 in their fights and are looking to get back on top after they lost BrewFC #13 by a razor thin margin to Connecticut Valley.

More Brewing is just a 20 minute drive due south of Mikerphone, in Villa Park, Illinois. Since opening in 2017, they have insanely successful and even opened a second location in Huntley, Illinois last year. More has been featured on Belt’s Beer Garden just once before, very recently - back in mid-February, when I reviewed Honour, a new double IPA from them.

Like the previous BrewFC fights, I will have a friend pour the beers so I won’t know which is which until after I have scored each one. The beers will be judged on three categories - Appearance (5 points), Aroma (15 points), and Taste (30 points) - with a possible 50 points up for grabs. The beer with the most points wins.

Again, I will not know which beer is which until AFTER I have made my decision.

But first, let’s take a look at both competitors.

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BrewFC 14

Beer:	Mikerphone Life's a Trip & Then You Rye	More Ryed in the Clouds
Beer:	Mikerphone Life's a Trip & Then You Rye	More Ryed in the Clouds
From:	Elk Grove Village, IL	Villa Park, IL
Style:	Rye IPA	Rye NE-IPA
ABV:	6.50%	7%
Hops:	Citra, Columbus, Strata	Chinook, Citra, Idaho-7
Cost:	$18/4-pack	$15/4-pack

As you can see, both beers are Rye IPAs brewed with a trio of hops and have a decent ABV level. The main difference between the beers (before the cans have been opened) is that the Mikerphone beers do cost a tad bit more. Outside of that, this should be a very good, very even match.

LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!

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BEER #1

Appearance:

Beer #1 was super cloudy and was a hazy, murky straw color. There was very little head and it looked like most IPAs today - which, to me, is a pretty good sign of things to come. 4/5

Aroma:

The aroma was sweet and sugary with notes of tropical fruits that also had a sticky quality to them. Lemonheads candy, tangerine, mango, lemon/lime, and guava were the most prevalent scents. It was quite inviting, although somewhat dry, and the aroma made it seem like the beer would be on the heavier side. 11/15

Taste:

The sugary-sweet tropical fruit flavors popped almost immediately. Sticky lemon led the way with some mango, tangerine, and guava sitting behind the slightly tart lemon. The grist offered up soft and pillowy notes of flaked wheat and oats. There was a hint of acidity and a moderate hop bite midway through. It finished slightly dry and sticky, with a resinous feeling coating my tongue. Pretty solid brew. Wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be and rather crushable. 26/30

Total: 41/50

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BEER #2

Appearance:

Very hazy with just under a finger of dense eggshell white head that lingered for a while. Slightly darker copper color, which was especially noticable in the the middle of the glass when held up to the light. 3.5/5

Aroma:

This beer had a very soft and inviting aroma. Juicy tropical fruits like papaya, mango, passion fruit, and grapefruit led the way. There was also a tiny dash of sugary sweetness to it but, for the most part, it was a juice bomb. 12/15

Taste:

It started off with a moderate hum of carbonation before the flavors slowly built up. Once they arrived, the beer was a bouquet of tropical fruit juices. A slightly pithy grapefruit hit hardest with mango and papaya close behind. A light tangerine flavor appeared shortly after and was accompanied by some lemon and pineapple. It did sit a tad heavy but finished rather cleanly, only leaving a slight dryness behind. Super crushable. 26/30

Total: 41.5/50

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As predicted, it was an insanely close match!! In fact, it was the closest ever BrewFC ever!! The winner, by a mere HALF A POINT, is Beer #2. But which beer is Beer #2???

AFTER FINDING OUT, THE WINNER IS.....

Congrats to More Brewing and their Ryed in the Clouds on taking down Mikerphone in the battle of Rye IPAs!! For Mikerphone, they’ve now dropped two close BrewFC fights in a row after winning their first two. I’ll have them back for a fifth, and decisive, fight soon! But, until then, stay tuned to see more BrewFC fights and beer reviews here on Belt’s Beer Garden.

April 03, 2021 at 04:00AM
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Belt’s Beer Garden - BrewFC #14: Ryed or Die - Hustle Belt

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