Do you love rye beers? I know I do. Classically, they’ve been brewed in Germany (Roggen) as a wheat beer variant, and of course the Russians make kvass completely from rye. Here in America, craft brewers have discovered that you can make a really great pale ale or India pale ale variant if you toss in some rye malt. I think the first such beer I enjoyed was Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, and as much as I enjoy a spicy hunk of rye bread, I really enjoyed the notion of a rye pale ale.
Last year (2013), New Hampshire’s Smuttynose brewing decided to get into the act with Smuttynose Rhye IPA, their version of a rye IPA (obviously).
Originally released as part of our Short Batch Series, our Rhye IPA arose from our desire to play with rye malt. It's built on a Finestkind IPA chassis, with the following changes:
• We tweaked the grain bill adding 30% rye malt and swapped Aromatic malt for C-60. Rye adds a spicy note while Aromatic malt adds a more subtle flavor than C-60 but increases malt aroma.
• We lowered the mash rest temperature a few degrees, giving the final beer less body and more drinkability.
• We jacked up the dry hopping to four times the level of Finest Kind for big hop aroma.
That’s pretty impressive, a 30% rye mash and a beer built on one of my favorite Smuttynose brews, Finestkind IPA. Ingredients:
Malt Bill: North American 2-Row, Rye Malt, Crisp Pale Ale, Aromatic
Hops:
Bittering: Magnum
Flavoring and dry hopping: Amarillo and Simcoe
Smuttynose states an alcohol content of 7% on its website, though my bottle has “ABV 6.8%” screen-printed on the brown glass. IBUs are counted at 65, and Smuttynose continues to provide strong value to its customers. I paid just $5.99 for my bottle, which has 2013 notched as production date.
Smuttynose Rhye IPA pours to a bright orange color with a very minimal head formation and a spicy rye and earthy, citric grapefruit hop nose. A thick layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides of my glass and follows the liquid all the way to the bottom of my glass. Taking a sip, the beer has some nice chewy caramel malt to start the show followed by grainy, bready, spicy rye (and lots of it) all leading into some citrusy grapefruit hops. A long grapefruit bitterness not unlike biting a grapefruit rind or seed finishes out and that bitterness lingers long on the tongue after sipping.
Wow! This is a great beer, exploding with rye and hops all served up on a bed of chewy caramel malt. Nicely done Smuttynose! But we knew that. One of the best rye IPAs out there (at least that I have come across), the interaction of malt infused with the rye and hops is truly spectacular.
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