10th Anniversary Rye IPA
Anacortes Brewery & Rockfish Grill

 

 

Cloudy orange amber with thin tan head okay retention and nice lacing. Spicy citrus aroma. Up front, a balanced hop and spicy rye with a moderate hop linger. Quickly hops dominate and overwhelm with a slightly unpleasant linger. Smooth with a light bite.

I'm not sure this is the same incarnation as it did not say 10th anniversary but it was a rye IPA. By now maybe it's a standard. It's not too bad until the hop bitterness overwhelms and turns this into just another hoppy IPA. All the other flavors disappear without anything to redeem it beside bitterness and a nice feel. Certainly not bad if in the mood for a hoppy beer.

On-tap at The Dray in Ballard. Poured to a standard pint glass (notes from 8/26/11):

A - Poured a very cloudy golden tan, with a 1-1/2 finger pillowy head of off-white foam. Good retention, thin lacing.

S - Intense piney hop blast to the nose with citrus & herb undercurrents. Rye earthiness is easily noticeable as well. A twinge of moderately sweet malt hides within the rye scent.

T - Strong piney hop flavor to start, with hints of citrus to sweeten it up. As this fades, low sweetness malt balances out the very mild bitterness. Dark rye tang and earthiness also becomes pleasantly noticeable as the hop blast fades, providinges a backbone through the whole flavor. Finishes with a tad more pine/citus hob, a tiny mild spice note, and a lingering rye flavor.

M - Medium body, very creamy. Light tickly carbonation. Bitterness is mild and very well-fit into the flavor experience. Leaves a hint of spice warmth.

D - The intense hop smell, strong hop flavor, low bitterness, low sweetness, but very noticeable rye flavor makes this beer fantastic in my eyes. Interesting on the senses, but also very pleasant and rewarding to drink. Definitely something I'd have again.