(Portland, OR) – Oakshire Brewing got label approval this week for its third seasonal.

Oakshire Line Dry Rye will be released on June 1st according to Brewmaster, Matt Van Wyk. It will be available in both 22 oz. bottles and on draft.

When Van Wyk first told me about the beer, I asked him about a trend that I am seeing with rye. I will probably do an all-out post on this soon though Van Wyk doesn’t think it is a “trend.” Here are his comments:

“I’m not so sure it is a trend. You do see more beers with it. I think that is due in part to our times, more breweries exist, more breweries are making great beer, and more brewers are being creative. Rye is another ingredient, not unlike to use of Oats or wheat, to create complexity of flavor in a beer. And yes, a lot of brewers are making Rye IPAs and pales, something about the compliment to hops, but I might argue that unless you are drinking a Roggenbier or something that is specifically rye forward and not buried by Belgian yeast or American hops, the rye is very much secondary or not perceptible at all. Sometimes, you have to know what you are looking for.

In Line Dry Rye, we use 20% rye, a good percentage. We hop it up with American hops like a clean pale ale and add a touch of honey so there is a lot at play there with the rye. Noticeable? Yes. Big time? No. Good? Of course.”

Beer stats/ingredients:

5.3% ABV, 35 IBUs, 12 deg. Plato
Pure Mackenzie Watershed h20
2-row Malted Barley
Flaked and malted rye
Other Specialty Malts
NW honey
NW hops

Also be on the lookout for another release, Oakshire Amber Ale, very soon.