Have I told you how much I enjoy the beers of New Holland Brewing of Holland, Michigan? I do. They’re readily available here in Georgia, both in the bottle and on tap. They’re of high quality and also generally reasonable in price. The latest example is Rye Hatter, a rye pale ale.

Beers like Rye Hatter get overlooked these days in favor of the sledgehammer beers, the highly hopped high alcohol brews that are often barrel aged and brewed with more exotic ingredients than you can shake a sahti stick at. For my part, I enjoy those beers well enough, but a good old fashioned easy drinking ale or lager of moderate strength and solid flavor are just as desirable to me. Such a beer is New Holland Rye Hatter.

It’s amazing the results you can get just by tossing some rye malt into your grist bill, and that is what’s happening with Rye Hatter. From the bottle label:

Rye lends spiciness to the caramel-malt base, while creating a creamy texture. Dry-hopping contributes a fresh citrus finish. Pairings: Blue cheese, blackened seafood, herb-roasted poultry.

Ingredients from the website:

Grains: 2-row, Munich, Crystal, Rye, carapils

Hops: Nugget, Centennial, Cascade

New Holland Rye Hatter has an alcohol content of 6.1% by volume and 60 IBUs. I paid $5.49 for a 22-ounce bomber bottle, a real bargain these days.

New Holland Rye Hatter pours to a brilliant orange amber color with a thick rocky head formation and an earthy,malty, spicy-rye nose. Taking a sip I get chewy caramel malt up front peppered with spicy grainy rye and a dry herbal, slightly grassy hop finish with just the right amount of balancing bitterness.

What a delightful sipping beer this is, I enjoyed the bottle on my patio on a warm summer evening. Rye Hatter achieves the perfect balance between chewy barley malt, spicy rye and herbal hop. It’s a satisfying beer perfectly suited for leisurely sipping. Overlook it at your own peril.



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