The latest offering is a Rye IPA. I didn't enjoy rye beers as recently as a a couple years ago, but they have grown on me, and grown quickly. I have enjoyed more rye beers in the last year than I had in all my years previously. Guess Mom and Dad were right--again--tastes do change.
Review #30
Rocket Dog IPA ABV 6.9%
Laughing Dog Brewery Sandpoint, ID 650 ml poured into pint glass
A - Pours much lighter than other ryes I've had, a golden, honey hue. A snow white head retains surprisingly well, and the lace is very clearly indicated
S - Sweet nose, with spice and lemon. Lots of hops here with a toasty backbone that is much more rye, than malt. Sweet fruits, orange and pineapple on the end. Appears to be super hop-forward, but the balance is certainly there.
T - Immediate smack of full cone hops, lemon and white grape acidity matched by the return of the sweet fruits and now some raw sugar and grassy notes. I almost get a tropical vision. The rye is a supporting actor here, but it is a Rye IPA, so I did expect a bit more. There is a bready quality to counteract all the hop craziness, but it doesn't quite reach a full, level balance.
M - A definite oily feeling, coming from the hop resin. The overall mouth feel is on the high side of light, or low side of medium, depending on your perspective. Light carbonation.
O - This is not a bad beer. Not at all. Something just doesn't quite work though. If you take it in pieces, it seems fine, but all together it lacks cohesiveness. I'd certainly drink it again, my hope is that further production would have a bit more peppery rye to counteract the hops, or reduce the hops a bit; make it more fully a Rye IPA.
Cheers,
Chris
1 comment:
I enjoy a good rye IPA at times and I may try this one at a later date. Nice review, as always, Chris.
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