Two big items in the news for the Chico, California based Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The company is building a second brewery in Mills River, North Carolina, a little over 10 miles from Asheville. Asheville is considered by most beer experts as the beer capitol of the south, and the massive new Sierra Nevada facility can only help cement that status.
Demand for Sierra Nevada beers has skyrocketed, resulting in the need for the new brewery. One can only assume that local roots in North Carolina can only lead to even more sales. That leads me to the second news item (at least for me): Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, an amazingly flavorful India Pale Ale brewed with spicy rye malt.
Ruthless Rye is the new winter seasonal from Sierra Nevada. Here are the specs from the brewery website:
alcohol content 6.6% by volume
malts PALE, RYE, CARAMEL & CHOCOLATE
beginning gravity 15.2 Plato yeast ALE YEAST
ending gravity 3.1 Plato
bittering hops BRAVO
bitterness units 55
AROMA hops CHINOOK & EXPERIMENTAL HOPS
DRY HOPS CHINOOK, CITRA & EXPERIMENTAL HOPS
I poured two bottles into my Sierra Nevada masskrug.
Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA pours to a bright reddish orange color with a moderate sized head of tightly packed foam and a vibrant citric hoppy nose. The palate has a hint of chewy caramel malt at first followed by the grainy, peppery, spicy rye and of course the hops. You kind of have to hurry up and enjoy the malt and rye, though, because the hops hit you fast: very citric and a little resiny. They really explode in the finish and leave a long dry bitterness on the tongue. Would I expect anything less from Sierra Nevada? Not really.
This is probably one of the best Rye IPAs I’ve ever tasted. The rye is well represented in the palate, but as should be the case the big hop aroma and bitterness really steal the show. Still, neither component negates the other; instead they work together perfectly. If anything, I think the bright citrusy hops that have become a Sierra Nevada signature might have a bit of an edge in the flavor profile, but I don’t mind that. Because this beer is just so amazing.
And it has really great hop burps, too. What’s better than that? I paid $8.49 for a six-pack, which is about average by today’s standards; perhaps even a slightly less than average. I could drink this one all night. It’s just so delicious and flavorful. A must with spicy foods, try a bottle with a plate of spicy Buffalo wings.
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