It is time again for yet another review. This one is Crank Tank Rye'd Ale coming from SweetWater Brewing Company.
Crank Tank is a limited offering, Rye Ale that coincides with SweetWater's mission to support Camp Twin Lakes, a not-for-profit organization that offers year-round recreational, therapeutic, and educational programs for children facing serious illnesses and other physical, emotional and life challenges. With its network of partners, Camp Twin Lakes provides life-changing experiences for thousands of children each year at its state-of-the-art, fully accessible facility, located on 500 acres in Rutledge, Georgia, and at other locations throughout the state. For more information, click here.
Each year, SweetWater sponsors a team in the annual Spin For Kids (October 22 and 23rd), a fundraising bike ride weekend to benefit Camp Twin Lakes and its partners. The brewery challenges their loyal fans to join the team and the cause, but they have also created Crank Tank for those who cannot make it to the event or for those who do not ride. Crank Tank is truly a beer that gives back because sales of this product contribute to the cause of Camp Twin Lakes.
For some insight behind the inspiration behind SweetWater's involvement, here is what Freddy Bensch, SweetWater’s Big Kahuna, had to say about this program:
“This camp is an inspiration to me and the SweetWater employees so much so we created the Crank Tank Rye’d Ale so that we could have a product that contributed to their cause. Camp Twin Lakes provides a safe and nonjudgmental environment for children with special needs – something they can’t always find in the real world. These children will touch your heart and inspire of all of us to raise even more money.”
This year, Crank Tank is available from late August to early October in both the 12 oz and 22 oz bottle format. Crank Tank made its Alabama debut this past weekend at the Southern HOPSpitality beer festival in Huntsville, so there is a possibility more of it might trickle into Alabama. If not, pick up a few bottles next time you cross over into Georgia and support a great cause.
Now, the review:
12 oz bottle served up in a standard pint glass. Crank Tank hit’s the glass as a lightly hazy, copper colored body. Moderate amount of carbonation activity moves through the body. Held to the light, the copper color gets a bit more vibrant as more of the orange hues pull through. The head was a slow build and took a good bit of aggressive pouring to get the finger of foam that I got. It recedes quickly to a ¼ finger by holds tight there. For the little amount of head hanging around, it sure does put up a lot of lace on the glass. I am getting thick sheets of lace all over the place. This is a very good looking brew.
Crank Tank hit’s the nose first with a hefty dose of citrus hops. I am getting a fair amount of both grapefruit and orange notes. Behind that, there is a light but very noticeable spicy rye presence. There is also a nice note of freshly cut grass coming across on the back end. The aroma is simple, but very enticing.
The taste comes first with all that rye malt used to make this beer. It has both a spicy and sweet rye note to it. The hops eventually take over slowly but completely on each sip with citrus, grassy, and floral notes. The citrus notes are a lightly bitter grapefruit and sweet orange. Everything working around in this beer’s flavor comes together wonderfully. The hops accentuate the spicy notes of the rye just enough, but they add just enough sweetness to keep that rye note from getting too harsh. Very nice.
Mouthfeel is a solid, medium body with a medium carbonation. Crank Tank has a light creamy texture to it that keeps it very easy drinking. It plays with a large portion of the taste buds, dancing across the sweet, spicy, and bitter. The 6.2% ABV is light in presence and barely noticeable. Aftertaste is just some light rye spice lingering.
Overall, Crank Tank is a wonderful drinking experience. It has just enough flavor and aroma to keep it the beer interesting, but it is subdued enough to keep it incredibly drinkable. As I write that, I have to say that this beer's insane level of drinkability is its greatest attribute. This beer is wonderfully refreshing and perfect for cooling off after those hotter days we get around here. Prost!
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