To celebrate the impending apocalypse (or just a very old calendar finally running out) Fantagraphics have made a strange alliance with fellow Seattleites, Elysian Brewery, to release a series of 12 speciality beers with label art by Charles Burns. The beers are being released at a rate of one per month, with this month's brew being “Rapture” which, unlike its namesake event -- much to Harold Camping's chagrin -- arrived bang on time this month. Rapture is a heather ale, made with pale, Munich, and Patagonia Especial malts.
Out of the bottle, Rapture delivers exactly what we'd expect from a heather beer, with lively fizz, a rich orange hue in the ale and healthy head. It's an altogether sunnier affair than its Scots ancestor, Fraoch, with lighter colouring and more aggressive carbonation -- an optimistic way to usher in the changing of the season. Its aroma has a strong presence of caramel, which overpowers the more delicate notes of pine and herbs. Those Magnum hops really push the flavours out there, pleasing even the least-sensitive of palates.With such a potent nose, it follows that Rapture's flavour is simple and direct. The hops provide a bitterness that's heavier than expected and lingers languorously on the tongue. There's some butteriness that comes through after a fashion that aspires to a smoothness that never really materialises.
Like last month's Nibiru, Rapture is a potent brew, with 7% ABV, which is perhaps too strong for an ale that really demands to be light, floral and refreshing. With such simple flavours, too, it doesn't feel particularly special for a high-profile, limited release like this, and lacks the imagination that marked Nibiru out as such a success. Much like its namesake, Rapture promises more than it actually delivers.
-- Gavin Lees
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