January Brew Review Thread - Rye IPA

[Alastair70]

Just reread my review and realised that when I said the beer was opaque I meant the absolute opposite of what opaque actually means.

I'd had a few...

I’m with H, I thought it was opaque too!! Glad you liked it, I brewed it as per the recipe I sent with the beer, including the decoction, so I’m really pleased how well the malts stand out. I’ve put the keg in a fridge to condition for a month, and ordered up a Bouncer in-line filter. I’ll accept a bit of hop fade in favour of a clearer pour.

 

[Nottsbeer]

Tonight is the brew kindly provided by @SMP Brewery. This opened with a slight hiss and poured nicely, leaving a good head. I couldn't place any initial distinctive aroma (a very slight one but I'm not sure of what). This was a dark brew, slightly opaque. Taste wise I could pick out a slight hint of the rye and maybe a hint of candy, similar to that noted by @pilgrimhudd, though I'm not fully sure. This was again a completely different beer than the other two I've had, and again a nice one to drink. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Time for another Rye IPA review. Now I said I would review them in the order I received them but my second two beers came at the same time, they were even rubber-banded together so I can’t even rely on the order the postie handed them to me so which of the two did I open first?

This is @pilgrimhudd ’s 5.0% Rye oh rye oh rye and I’ve used the same glass as my first beer for visual comparison. As with the first of my beers carbonation is good forming a nice airy almost white head and again this one collapsed after a short while to form a dense foam over the surface. The colour is more of an orange amber and this beer is also fairly clear with just a touch more haze than the first.

The aroma is very inviting with quite a big hoppy aroma of bitter orange marmalade, and dank tropical and stone fruit. Just a little spicy rye in the mix.

The flavour is similar to the aroma in this case with those dank hops filling every corner of my mouth. It lasts for a few seconds before the spicy rye elbows it’s way to the front. The big flavours then soften and a sweetness develops, the mouthfeel softens, and finally the bitterness shows through. The bitterness is actually fairly assertive to me and lingers for some time at the finish. There are no discernible off flavours, fermentation is clean, and the beer has good body and a very dry finish.

This is another great beer and I think measures up against all the requirements for an American IPA with the addition of spicy rye. In response to the question rye oh rye I might just say rye not, pass me another

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Time for another Rye IPA review. Now I said I would review them in the order I received them but my second two beers came at the same time, they were even rubber-banded together so I can’t even rely on the order the postie handed them to me so which of the two did I open first?

This is @pilgrimhudd ’s 5.0% Rye oh rye oh rye and I’ve used the same glass as my first beer for visual comparison. As with the first of my beers carbonation is good forming a nice airy almost white head and again this one collapsed after a short while to form a dense foam over the surface. The colour is more of an orange amber and this beer is also fairly clear with just a touch more haze than the first.

View attachment 82588

The aroma is very inviting with quite a big hoppy aroma of bitter orange marmalade, and dank tropical and stone fruit. Just a little spicy rye in the mix.

The flavour is similar to the aroma in this case with those dank hops filling every corner of my mouth. It lasts for a few seconds before the spicy rye elbows it’s way to the front. The big flavours then soften and a sweetness develops, the mouthfeel softens, and finally the bitterness shows through. The bitterness is actually fairly assertive to me and lingers for some time at the finish. There are no discernible off flavours, fermentation is clean, and the beer has good body and a very dry finish.

This is another great beer and I think measures up against all the requirements for an American IPA with the addition of spicy rye. In response to the question rye oh rye I might just say rye not, pass me another

Thanks for the kind review H, glad you enjoyed it. After having one last night I thought it might be missing a touch of sweetness to balance it out, forgetting the crystal might have something to do with it!

 

[Alastair70]

Having my second Rye IPA tonight, this one is from @Nottsbeer.
Lovely pour; nice hiss when the bottle opened, a generous head slowly settles to a mor compact foam that lasted through the pint. The clarity is excellent.
The aroma is citrusy caramel and quite inviting. Flavour wise, there’s a big blast of orangey citrus hop that melts into caramel sweetness and a rye spice. The mouthfeel and length of flavour are great, I’m really enjoying the character that rye malt adds to beer. All in all, it’s a top brew. A very well made beer that is closer to what I thought the style would be like than the one I brewed myself. Cheers!!

 

[Stu's Brews]

Time for me to get stuck into some IPAs!

First up is @pilgrimhudd's 'Rye Oh Rye Oh Rye'.

Deep orange to red colour with some light haze. Nice fluffy white head that retains well.

Aroma is mango and pine, with perhaps a slight hint of bubblegum. Not picking up much malt character on the nose. It's actually not to different to mine but I think we used some of the same hops.

Flavour is citrus and pine with a healthy spice kick from the Rye. If you'd remembered to add the crystal then I think the caramel notes would have balanced the spice really well, but as it it's still very good.

Bitterness is pronounced, but balanced well against the malt character. I think if you were to brew again and add the crystal then you'd maybe want to up the bitterness slightly to maintain the balance.

Carbonation is spot on, however the mouthfeel is perhaps a little light for me, but then at a relatively moderate 5% that's probably to be expected.

Overall, a really good beer. I'd be interested to see your recipe as I suspect it won't be too different to mine other than the ABV.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed, it was meant to be 6% but the malt I've got at the mo isn't giving me the sugar I've come to expect. I also think a touch of crystal might have given it a touch of body and made it sweeter.

The mouthfeel reminds me of my wye valley pale which was single malt, surprising how much difference 200g of this that or the other makes to a recipe.

 

[Stu's Brews]

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed, it was meant to be 6% but the malt I've got at the mo isn't giving me the sugar I've come to expect. I also think a touch of crystal might have given it a touch of body and made it sweeter.

The mouthfeel reminds me of my wye valley pale which was single malt, surprising how much difference 200g of this that or the other makes to a recipe.

It's a really nice and tasty, yet fairly easy drinking, beer as it is. I imagine it would be an almost completely different beer at 6%, but not necessarily in a bad way if you added the crystal malt. You've possibly got a two for one deal in terms of good recipes there!

 

[Alastair70]

I’m sitting tight on the last one, it’s been a long week and my palate is as tired as I am. The final beer will be better off waiting until tomorrow..

 

[Stu's Brews]

I’m sitting tight on the last one, it’s been a long week and my palate is as tired as I am. The final beer will be better off waiting until tomorrow..

Ooof! You tease!

 

[Alastair70]

Ooof! You tease!

It’s for the best. I’m having a draught Guinness instead and it’s tasting of nothing.

 

[Stu's Brews]

It’s for the best. I’m having a draught Guinness instead and it’s tasting of nothing.

I'm sure someone would question whether it's your palate causing that!

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Today I’m trying the last of my three swaps, this one is a 6.3% Rye IPA from @Stu's Brews called “ Knight Ryeder”.

Again, I’ve taken the picture outside in natural light and using the same glass as for my previous two beers. Carbonation is softer than the previous two beers but still produced a nice off-white head on top of the dark amber and slightly hazy beer.

The aroma of this beer is more obviously a rye beer with rich rye malt as the most prominent element. I’m not getting much from the hops in this beer but there is something a little earthy. I’m also getting a touch of honey on the nose.

The flavour is definitely malt forward with that lovely rye taking centre stage along with a touch of caramel. Earthy hops emerge as the rye fades and then a smooth bitterness builds. The bitterness is of medium intensity and fades to a clean dry finish. Very moreish

As with the other beers I received this beer is well made, has no off flavours, and it has good body. Perhaps what stands out though is balance, this beer is beautifully balanced and that makes it both hard to describe and very drinkable. Lovely beer Stu, thank you!

 

[Stu's Brews]

Today I’m trying the last of my three swaps, this one is a 6.3% Rye IPA from @Stu's Brews called “ Knight Ryeder”.

Again, I’ve taken the picture outside in natural light and using the same glass as for my previous two beers. Carbonation is softer than the previous two beers but still produced a nice off-white head on top of the dark amber and slightly hazy beer.

View attachment 82667

The aroma of this beer is more obviously a rye beer with rich rye malt as the most prominent element. I’m not getting much from the hops in this beer but there is something a little earthy. I’m also getting a touch of honey on the nose.

The flavour is definitely malt forward with that lovely rye taking centre stage along with a touch of caramel. Earthy hops emerge as the rye fades and then a smooth bitterness builds. The bitterness is of medium intensity and fades to a clean dry finish. Very moreish

As with the other beers I received this beer is well made, has no off flavours, and it has good body. Perhaps what stands out though is balance, this beer is beautifully balanced and that makes it both hard to describe and very drinkable. Lovely beer Stu, thank you!

Thanks for the kind words @Hazelwood Brewery. Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

@Mayor of Simpleton can is in the fridge, hoping to be sat in front of the fire, supping it in less than 90 mins.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Easy Ryeder by @Mayor of Simpleton , excuse the awful pic.

Not much of a pop when I opened the can but pours out with a nice thick creamy head and is well carbonated ( I had feared It was flat). Dark copper coloured, hazy. Aroma, sweet, caramel and a fruit of some sort, maybe mango or something similar. Flavour, malty, with some of the aroma in there, spicy finish with a good level of bitterness that doesn't linger long. Mouthfeel medium bodied, I'd say, as stated perfect level of carbonation for me. Overall a lovely beer, it tastes familiar to me but I can't say from where. Hides it's abv well. One thing I might critique and this is nit picking, I might say that it's got a touch too much body for me, could be drier but not quite as dry as mine, but that's just my taste. Great job!

 

[Alastair70]

It’s my last Rye IPA unfortunately, I’ve particularly enjoyed this swap. It’s Knight Ryeder from @Stu's Brews.
Nice pop on opening the bottle, medium carbonation and a good head that stuck around for most of the pint.
The aroma is very pronounced caramel and rye malt with a little citrus hop character. The taste is rich malt complexity, caramel again sitting alongside rye spice. Hop flavours are muted, almost like a Nobel hop, but the bitterness is spot on. The finish is long and dry clearing the palate for another big swig. I had to work hard not to rip through the pint in record time.
It’s another very well crafted brew and worthy of the great score at UKHBC. Thank you so much for sharing it .

 

[Stu's Brews]

It’s my last Rye IPA unfortunately, I’ve particularly enjoyed this swap. It’s Knight Ryeder from @Stu's Brews.
Nice pop on opening the bottle, medium carbonation and a good head that stuck around for most of the pint.
The aroma is very pronounced caramel and rye malt with a little citrus hop character. The taste is rich malt complexity, caramel again sitting alongside rye spice. Hop flavours are muted, almost like a Nobel hop, but the bitterness is spot on. The finish is long and dry clearing the palate for another big swig. I had to work hard not to rip through the pint in record time.
It’s another very well crafted brew and worthy of the great score at UKHBC. Thank you so much for sharing it .

View attachment 82690

Cheers @Alastair70, glad you enjoyed it!

Yours and @Hazelwood Brewery's comments very closely echo those of the judges at the competition. After the last review has been posted I'll upload the recipe and feedback sheets as it'll probably be quite interesting to compare.

 

[Mayor of Simpleton]

First of the Rye beers today. @Alastair70 's Rye hard with a Vengeance.

Bottle opened with a subtle hiss. This is a lovely looking beer; a nice copper/red colour with good clarity. The head was small but retained throughout drinking. Aroma wise I picked up sweet caramel as most prominent with light spice and subtle citrus. The aroma carries through to the taste - the sweetness is really well balanced with the bitterness. It's quite light bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. If I am being ultra picky I found it a bit too carbonated for me - but that is a personal preference thing.

Overall this is a fantastic beer that drinks easy. It hides the ABV well. The care that has gone into brewing it shines through. Awesome job!

 

[Alastair70]

First of the Rye beers today. @Alastair70 's Rye hard with a Vengeance.View attachment 82715

Bottle opened with a subtle hiss. This is a lovely looking beer; a nice copper/red colour with good clarity. The head was small but retained throughout drinking. Aroma wise I picked up sweet caramel as most prominent with light spice and subtle citrus. The aroma carries through to the taste - the sweetness is really well balanced with the bitterness. It's quite light bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. If I am being ultra picky I found it a bit too carbonated for me - but that is a personal preference thing.

Overall this is a fantastic beer that drinks easy. It hides the ABV well. The care that has gone into brewing it shines through. Awesome job!

That’s looking a lot clearer than it did when I sent it!!