Good beer and cycling somehow seem to go hand and hand. At every bike race I have been to, amateur or professional, there is always craft beer. Breweries often partner with cycling teams or sponsor events. In this vein comes the Rusty Chain from Flying Bison Brewing Company, a beer brewed to promote cycling in the Buffalo, NY area. The Rusty Chain is a Vienna style Amber Ale that offers some good malt flavors, and no rust.

From the 12 ounce bottle the Rusty Chain has a great amber color with no cloudiness and a slightly foamy white head. There is minimal lacing but the head does stick around in a thin ring most of the way down. Aromas of caramel, toffee, lightly toasted malt, and a hint of hops come out. It’s a really nice clean aroma with plenty of malts as expected.

A lot of malt is on the front of the palate as anticipated, but there isn’t too much variety to it. Caramel, yeast, and some bready flavors make up the malt elements. Hops add some variety to the middle with some brighter citrus notes coming through. The finish is sweeter malts with a smooth, lighter mouth feel that makes the beer extremely drinkable.

The Rusty Chain is a good, middle of the road, easy drinking amber lager. The flavors were a little flat and needed some more variety, but they were interesting enough to keep me coming back. The Rusty Chain would make a great sessionable beer, or a recover beer after a long ride.

Rating

80
out of 100