Last bottle. Pours 2 fingers of foam that is slow to dissipate, mahogany in color. Aroma is fruity and Woody. Flavor is slightly fruit and wood, almost a hint of vanilla, that morphs into more of a wood flavor. Breath is of fruity wood, which isn't a great descriptor but the closest I can think of. Body is medium and silky smooth. After this one had some age on it, 2 months, it became a great beer. I think the dry hop can be dropped entirely. This wasn't the beer I was going for as it is a brown ale and not a pale ale, but I believe it is quite good.
Side bottle ferment pours two fingers of foam that lingers. Color is dark brown, burnt orange in the light. Aroma is fruity hops, tropical fruit, like mango. Flavor is tropical fruit, mango followed by a little toasty malt and a finish of tropical hops. Body is light and there's a carbonation sharpness due to nucleation. I'm surprised that the rye isn't more pronounced in this one. I think I'd like to have honey malt in it to assist in the spicy character of the rye. A different hop would be good too, something more pine like. Not a bad beer but not what I was going for.
Upright bottle ferment pours one finger of foam that dissipates quickly. Color is the same, dark brown, burnt orange. Aroma is slight tropical hops but not too perceptible, and then a malty sweetness coupled with a slight yeast tang. Flavor is slight tropical hops that is gone immediately followed by a malty sweetness with a slight toastiness that finishes with a bready yeast flavor. Perhaps the extra carbonation makes all the difference, but the side bottle is better by quite a bit. I still want more of a spice and sharpness to this beer.
