Ryan Cashman

Back to beer this month with Rushford and Sons (RAS) of Upton. 

There are not many microbreweries that truly live up to the term “micro” but RAS does so in terms of scale and flavor. This is not necessarily a bad thing. There are some among the beer drinking community – my wife being one of them – who enjoy beers that are subtle. I do enjoy a subtle beer, but RAS takes the subtlety to the point of subtext. If this seems harsh it’s only because I struggled, really struggled to find the levels of flavor advertised. 

Now, I only sampled two beers from RAS, so this review is not indicative of their entire line up. I am more than eager to give more of their beers a try, I truly am. But I must be honest, I was not wowed by the two that I sampled: the Bee’s Knees and Ol’ Blighty. 

Let’s start with the Bee’s Knees. As one may guess, there is honey in this beer. It’s a honey blonde that is very light, delicate, and easily sippable. The Mount Hood hops unfortunately overpower whatever honey flavors were added. The only semblance of honey flavor is the all to brief floral whisper one gets after a few sips. As light beers go, Bee’s Knees is on the lighter side. You get hit with the hops, but not much else. 

Ol’ Blighty is the RAS take on the classic English Bitter. Only, it isn’t. That’s not me criticizing, that’s quite literally what’s in the description: “Our Extra Special Bitter is anything but! This British style ale is sweet, malty, and features a hint of caramel with fruit.” The only thing “traditional” about Ol’ Blighty is the East Kent Goldings hops used to flavor it. Again, I struggled to find the flavors advertised. I got the malts, for sure, but no caramel or frutiness. It’s a mix of malt and hops, which certainly brings out the bitterness of this “not bitter” bitter. 

I spent a lot of time with these two beers, drinking several cans over several days in order to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. To my taste, I wasn’t. My wife, on the other hand, loved these two beers. 

“Some of us appreciate subtlety,” she teased me as I was writing this. 

Now, to be clear, these are not bad beers. No, Bee’s Knees and Ol’ Blighty are great beers for those who have more discerning palates. I sometimes feel like my palate has been destroyed rather than honed over these years of drinking and reviewing beer. 

RAS only opened its doors back in December and by all accounts it is an absolute labor of love. I am returning to try more and I truly think I will find something to my liking. They’ve a promising menu and a promising path. You should definitely check them out. 

Rushford and Sons: Rasbrewhouse.com.