Friday, March 2, 2012

Sierra Nevada - Ruthless Rye 2011

Rye IPA, 6.6% ABV
I picked up Ruthless Rye at Red Carpet in a 6-pack. It's a winter offering with pretty good availability.


Appearance: Medium amber, lightly carbonated, thick head with pretty decent retention and lacing.

Smell: Rye, grain, caramel malt and overall lots of bready character from the yeast.

Taste: Primarily earthy flavors -- grain, grass, bread, and some sweetness as well. The hops are present but not dominant. The flavor contribution from the hops seems to be primarily pine and earth. It tastes maybe more like a rye pale ale than an IPA.

Mouthfeel: Pretty nice, actually. Medium body and a nice, dry finish. It's very crisp and clean drinking.

Overall: Another drinkable, solid, reasonably priced offering from Sierra Nevada. It's a bit high in alcohol to be an all-day sipper, but it could drink just as well in the summer out on the beach as it does in the winter with a hearty dinner. My only disappointment is that it's not quite as hoppy as I would like it to be on top of the strong rye/grain flavors. Calling it an IPA had my expectations up a little bit for some strong hop flavor, but it didn't really deliver. Other than that, I really recommend this beer if you like the idea of a rye pale ale.

3.5/5

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