We all have ideas that sound great in our heads, but when we try to make this a reality it goes to hell. Brewers have this happen on occasion: they develop a recipe that works on paper, or in their spreadsheets, only to realize the real-life experiences of a brew day can’t be calculated. Recently the brewing collaboration between Left Hand and Terrapin encountered such a dilemma when it brewed a black rye lager fondly named Terra-Rye’Zd.

You see, rye just isn’t an ingredient that is fun to work with in a brew. When it’s in the mash it gets really gummy and difficult to manage, even in small amounts. Well, Terra-Rye-Zd didn’t use just a little bit of rye, it used a lot. In fact, the brewers used so much rye the rakes in the mash tun (the brand new mash tun) wouldn’t move the grain — making for a very long, frustrating brew day, one that was “terrorized” the crew. But, was it worth it, the stuck mash, the frustration, and long day? To quote what is quickly becoming the phrase of the year, “you betcha. ”

The beer has the water softness of a traditional schwarzbier (black lager), but the rye imparts a distinct sharpness to the flavor and aroma that sets this apart from the German black lager. The dark grains lend a very light smokiness that settles in nicely on the back of the tongue. Hop bitterness is elevated slightly, and they contribute an earthy, floral hop flavor. This is a slightly heavy beer, but easy to enjoy.

Given that this is the first in a series of collaboration brews between Terrapin and Left Hand, and that it’s well-crafted despite a brew-day from hell, it seems safe to assume we can expect more great flavors in the next of Midnight Project series. The beer will be made at Terrapin, however, and we think it’s safe to assume there’ll be a lot less rye.