Sometimes, doing the right thing can be a painful decision. Other times, it’s far more rewarding. The latter is the case when you pick up a bottle of Bison Brewing’s Reunion 2008 Organic Red Rye Ale. That’s because the proceeds from the beer go to the Institute for Myeloma and Bone Cancer Research. And everybody wins: you get a 22-ounce bottle of organically brewed, delicious red ale for a measly $5, all the while helping out a worthy charity.

And that’s why Reunion 2008 is also called “A Beer for Hope”. This isn’t the first time Reunion Ale has hit store shelves, although it appears in different incarnations each year. In 2007 it was an Imperial Brown Ale. Brewing legend Pete Slosberg (he put the Pete in Pete’s Wicked Ale) is one of the major names behind the project. Sadly, Virginia MacLean, the inspiration behind the project, passed away in 2007 from Myeloma. But her desire to fight her disease goes on, and you can help by buying a bottle of Reunion 㤐 or donating directly in Virginia’s memory at http://www.reunionbeer.com

Reunion 2008 is hand crafted from all-organic ingredients at Chico, California’s Bison Brewery. The beer savvy may know this as the home of craft brewing legend Sierra Nevada, as well. This hearty red ale is made with barley malt, flaked rye, hops and is spiced with caraway seeds.

Reunion 2008 Organic Red Rye Ale pours to a beautiful coppery red color with a light but creamy head formation and an inviting sweet caramel and spicy hop nose. The caramel in the nose is readily apparent in the palate, too, and it’s the first thing that hits me as I sip. The chewy, stewed malt flavor of the caramel malt is what gives a red ale it’s color and flavor, and it does the trick here, with extra quantities thrown in for good measure. That gives Reunion 2008 a bit more body and a higher alcohol content, too, at 6.5% by volume.

The flaked rye adds a decided spiciness to the beer, and although I just get a hint of the caraway seeds, they are there and complete the allusion to a slice of fresh rye bread. A citric fruitiness pervades the beer as well, and a dry, peppery hop bitterness rounds Reunion 2008 out nicely.

All in all, this is a tasty red ale with an extra kick and a bit of added spice. You could do worse with your $5 than pick up a bottle. Why not try some today? After all, doing the right thing isn’t hard at all to do when it tastes this good.



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