RyePA
Goose Island Beer Co.

64oz Growler
$15
Goose Island-Clybourn

6.5% abv

Goose's RyePA glugs from the growler straight down the center of the pint glass with a color that perfectly matches bourbon with a touch of haziness throughout. A dusty white head reaches a finger in height before slowly falling in upon itself and settling at a solid cap leaving spots of sheet lacing down the glass. The body shows off some crazy polished copper highlights when backlit.

I can't get enough of a hoppy rye. The notes hits upfront with some candied orange peel and brown sugar coated pink grapefruit. A quick swirl of the glass brings out the fairly substantial rye spiciness but as the head sinks so does the rye. While Columbus hops and rye dominate the nose there is a solid backbone of slightly buttery caramel. This is how I like a rye beer, hopped to the core.

Each drink bursts with candied citrus, mostly leaning toward orange peel but there's a flash of brown sugar dipped grapefruit as well. Spicy rye hits softly mid-palate and grows through the swallow until is combines with the growing hoppiness to create a moderately bitter backbone. The buttery caramel lays down a solid base but allows the rye and hoppiness to steal the show. The bitterness grows with each drink.

RyePA drinks from the growler like a cask ale. The carbonation is low and the body is heavenly smooth and creamy. The bitterness runs a buzzsaw down the middle of my tongue and down my throat after it grows.

A hoppy, rye IPA you ask? I could drink 'em all day long. As a matter of fact this first pint is going down in no time. This growler is in for a world of hurt!

Did I mention I'm a sucker for hoppy ryes? While RyePA is no Red's Rye, it's a damn fine example of the style and up there with Cane & Ebel. I don't think a growler of this will be enough. I hope it's flowing at Goose for a couple more weeks.

on tap at the Clybourn Brewpub in August 2008, so i do not know why it is listed as retired. poured into a pub glass, with a yellowish amber color and a light haze. a half finger of white head tops it off, with moderate retention.

aroma is fruity, with a bit of spice mixed in, from the hops or from the rye, alongside fruit notes of banana, passionfruit, and mango. lightly tropical in profile, this one is quite fruity in the nose.

taste is lightly malty up front, along with a good portion of citrusy hops and touch of banana in the background, along with the same passionfruit and mango from the aroma. finishes fruity with bittering hops and residual citrusy hops.

mouthfeel is light bodied and mildly tart in texture, with a sweet and mildly tart finish. the lightly tropical profile works well with the light body, but is still a bit overwhelming for the malts and hops present.

drinkability is decent. the brew is essentiallt a fruity version of a pale ale, with tropical undertones and a decently balanced profile. for a summer brew, this is refreshing, but that is it for the positives.

Growler purchased from Goose Island-Clybourn 8/2/08. Poured from a growler into two pint glasses. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist, and the growler hook-up!

A: Pours a cloudy amber color with a bubbly off-white head that quickly falls off to a whispy skim. Not much lace to speak of.

S: Interesting aromas of spicy rye, caramel, hops, toasted malt, honey, and and a faint aroma of apple.

T: See above. Very nice fresh green hop flavor.

M: The spiciness of the rye and hops are countered by the sweetness of the caramel. Very good balance.

D: I was impresseed at how easy this is to drink. Very refreshing and not at all a big rye beer palate crusher.

(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer has a golden deep orange body with a thick spongy white head that last and last. There is a slight hazy and a gentle carbonation in this beer.

S- The spicy smell of hops has an earthy pine note that is pleasant but there is not much else in the aroma.

T- The pine hops blend with a slightly sweet malt note and a hint of spice from the rye. There is a green hop bitterness in the finish and the hops hang on the tongue after each sip. There are some nice flavors of floral hops and grassiness that come through more as it warms.

M- this beer has a medium-full mouthfeel with a nice creamy texture.

D- This beer has a nice complexity and a big hop flavor.

Ordered this in early August 2006 on-tap at the Goose Island Clybourn restaurant. Poured an enticing clear orange/honey color. Very little head on it. Light lacing. Aromas of heony and light citrus, plus a strong hop element. Taste begins with the honey and citrus, then grows very hoppy (as expected from an IPA) in the middle of the tongue, and gives way to a sweet, hoppy finish. Overall, the finish tasted very much like a strong mead. Medium carbonation in the mouthfeel. Overall, a surprisingly good beer. The taste really travels, leaving you with a wonderful, refreshing beer. Highly recommended.

I had this beer on Cask at the Wrigleyville outpost. In a coincidence, there had been a discussion on the BA message board about Rye beers. Once the bar tender told me the special, I had to jump on it. It is a combo of an IPA and a Rye beer.

The beer is a hazy dark bronze with gold highlights. Nice tan head with rings of lace.

The aroma was a mix of hops (pine and citrus) and rye bread.

The taste was very good. The beer leaned more towards the IPA side of the fence. Nice grapefruit and pine bite. The rye taste was subtler and it reminded me of good pumpernickel bread. Some soft molasses in the background.


The mouthfeel was a little thinner than I like, but it still worked.. Drinkablity was very high. This would be a perfect session beer for me. Easy to pair with hearty food.

In talking to the bartender, he said that most of cask beers only last about 7 to 10 days. I hope you will have a chance to this interesting hybrid.