Arcadia Brewing Company - Sky High Rye

We like rye beers. There's something about the subtle spicy, and sometimes fruity, character of the grain that adds a nice, subtle extra dimension to a brew. This rye pale ale from Arcadia presents a bright golden hue with a tight cap of foam that laces well as it drops. We had a bit of yeast sediment in our bottles that we swirled up and included in our pour. In the aroma department, we got a very floral character with additional notes of citrus, stone fruit, pine, and some grassiness. On the palate, the malt offers a little more character than in many pale ales, delivering a bready center with a touch of spicy rye (which makes up 20% of the malt bill) that melds seamlessly with the hops. Soft hints of toffee and pumpernickel peak though, too, while the bold hops provide plenty of overlaying fireworks. Floral and lemony citrus notes, a bit of peach, plus a touch of pine resin decorate a pretty firm bitterness that's approaching IPA territory and hangs on well in the dry finish. For pairing options, the brewery recommends pepperoni pizza, cheeseburgers, satay, Thai peanut curry, tofu lo mein (we'd go with chicken, but we're carnivores), and herbed goat cheese.

Arcadia was founded in 1996 in Battle Creek, MI, by Tim Suprise and his wife, Mardy. Tim, originally from upstate New York, spent five years in law enforcement before spending another ten in the paper products industry, during which he traveled around the nation and the world visiting paper mills and picking up a taste for locally-produced beers. Deciding it was time for another career change, he jumped into the brewing business, determined to bring locally-made brews to the thirsty residents of Michigan. The Arcadia Brewing Company was founded as a brewery and pub, utilizing an authentic English brick kettle brewing system and open fermentation using English ale yeast. With little money available for an elaborate kitchen, a wood-fired stove was procured – a fateful decision it turns out, as the location is now well known for their wood-fired pizza, as well as BBQ.

By 2014, the Battle Creek location had proven just too small to support the continued growth of the business, so Arcadia opened a second location in Kalamazoo at the abandoned site of a former coal burning power plant. With developmental help from the city, the new brewhouse, restaurant, and beer garden is helping to revitalize the River’s Edge district. In 2016, Jim Lutz, formerly of Flying Dog, and Old Dominion & Fordham breweries, came on board as Arcadia’s president, with Tim retaining his position as CEO. In September 2017, Arcadia made the decision to close its Battle Creek location, which has endured a lot of wear over its two decades of operation. Luckily, Arcadia won't be gone from Battle Creek long; Suprise and his team are expecting to open a new and improved location in the city sometime in mid-2018. For more information on their Kalamazoo and Battle Creek breweries and restaurants, visit arcadiaales.com .