Heads up! Time for my second beer from Denver, Colorado’s Renegade Brewing Company. The brewery, which opened in 2011, has already had to expand operations once in its brief history. As I said, I’ve only sampled a few of their beers so far, but I can easily see why. The beers are very good indeed and I would certainly buy them on a regular basis were they sold in my area.
Tonight’s selection: Renegade Redacted Rye, a rye India Pale Ale. I’m a big fan of the spicy, grainy flavors that rye imparts to beer, so have been looking forward to this one. Rye works especially well with hops inn an IPA I think; it surely does here. Here’s what the brewery says about the beer (and the name) on the can:
Redacted. Censored. Banned. Blocked. Excluded. There will always be those trying to censor the Renegades. But this beer will not go quietly. With a complex rye-based malt profile complemented by citrusy hops, this beer will be remembered for its unique flavor. We painstakingly brew this beer to produce a perfect balance of malt and hops. This beer is for those who do the don’ts and don’t the dos, the Renegades. Best enjoyed in the company of good friends.
Renegade Redacted Rye has an alcohol content of 7 percent by volume with an impressive 60 IBUs. It’s not sold in my area, but I got a sample from beer and pizza king Dale Roberts.
Renegade Redacted Rye pours to a bright orange color with a very thick rocky cauliflower head formation and a delightfully arrayed nose of citrus and spicy rye. Taking a sip, I get a firm chewy caramel malt character up front followed by spicy citric grapefruit peel, spicy rye and at the last a long dry herbal bitterness. The balance between malt, rye and hops is expertly done, and this is to be sure one of the better Rye IPAs I’ve tasted. A long and dry lingering bitterness stats on the tongue for a while after sipping.
I really love the grainy, spicy rye notes here. As I said they are well balanced with the malt and hops, but well pronounced upon the palate. I could easily sip this one all day and never get tired of the grainy rye bread flavors. Renegade Redacted Rye may be hard to find, but trust me when I say that when you do, it’s worth it.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft