Tempest Brewing Co. Marmalade On Rye

Triumph in a glass.

Every now and then you come across a beer that is just trying too hard to be different. A beer that screams "My brewer wants to impress you so much he threw the kitchen sink at me! ... AND a squirrel!" These are often beers that are seasonal in theme and unusual of ingredient. Often they fall flat and don't live up to the big claims made on the label. Others, however, are interesting, great even, but you couldn't imagine yourself sitting down to drink two or three. But some... well, some are bottled genius... Triumph in a glass.

At this time of year wacky beers abound. Autumn seems to attract experimental flavours with pumpkin ales leading the charge. But I have something to admit: *stands solemnly*

I am yet to try a pumpkin ale that I think is any good.*

"HERESY!" they cry. "You are bound by the laws of man... NAY, the very laws of nature itself, to enjoy (during October and November) something that should not be pumpkin flavoured but that is now PUMPKIN FLAVOURED!"

No... I'm afraid not. This way leads to folly... and somebody turning to you during Christmas to say "Try this peppermint saison. It's great."

So with this in mind, when I find a new beer that claims some unusual combination of ingredients I do tend to sample expecting to find it intriguing at best, but not a drink I'll rush back to. It was in this vein that I first encountered Tempest Marmalade On Rye, a double IPA said to be packed full of orangey flavour from the copious use of orange zests. Already being a fan of the Tempest range, I was willing to give it a little leeway, but I was expecting to think "Yes, interesting. Right, can I have a proper IIPA now?"

What I wasn't expecting was to find my favourite new beer of last year.

It's true that Marmalade On Rye is made with oranges, a lot of them. There's also a lot of ginger thrown into the mix. But these spicy flavours mingle and combine with the big biscuity hop tones to create a chewier sensation. This is not a fresh citrus IPA, but more, well... marmalade on toast. But don't let that put you off, it works. Big, bold Double IPAs often have bittersweet, sticky, chewy notes and the ingredients used here work well with it.

Tempest Brewing Co.  Marmalade On Rye is a Double IPA that has a hefty abv of 9% to go with its hefty flavours. It pours a rich amber with tangerine and slight toffee aromas.

For such a bold beer it's surprisingly easy to drink and can be enjoyed during a session (with caution... ahem, 9%) but works well as the final beer of the night.

If you like Maramalade On Rye, you should definitely look at some other bold Double IPAs like Buxton Nth Cloud and have a look this review of Brewdog Jackhammer, which also includes some other IIPA suggestions.

Alternatively, if you want to try another unusually flavoured ale that works extremely well, Rogue's Chipotle Ale is worth a look.

You can read about more Double IPAs here:

*In the interests of full disclosure, the guys at The Parcel Yard in Kings Cross didn't believe my claim that I'd never had a decent pumpkin based beer and advised me to try Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale. Brooklyn beers have since arrived in Malaysia, but you can't currently get that one in KL, but I'll look out for it. You never know, it might be the pumpkin ale that changes my life. (I doubt it).

2022 UPDATE: Tempest beers aren't currently in stock in Malaysia and haven't been since before the pandemic. I'd love to see them back.