Halligan RyePA
Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.

Halligan RyePAHalligan RyePA
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From:
Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
American IPA
ABV:
5.1%
Score:
81
Avg:
3.53 | pDev: 13.31%
Reviews:
59
Ratings:
61
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 24, 2012
Added:
May 15, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by erosier:
Photo of erosier
Reviewed by erosier from Connecticut

2.81/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
L: Pours a deep amber/red/brown with a medium sized and medium bodied off white colored head that laces the glass nicely on the way down.
S: Smells of roasted malts and a spicy rye aroma and then a slight earthy/floral/piney hop aroma at the end. Has a nice nose to it.
T: Tastes of sweet roasted malts up front, then a spicy rye flavor. It is followed by almost a taste rest where it tastes a bit watery and then a slight hop finish.
M: Watery, perfect amount of carbonation.
D: OK, I suppose this one was lacking on the malt character and wish there was more malt and more hops, but I really did enjoy the idea of a rye-IPA and the flavor was just about there for me.
Aug 17, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by rolltide8425 from Pennsylvania

Jul 24, 2012
 
Rated: 1.75 by whartontallboy from New York

Jul 06, 2012
Photo of Jayli
Reviewed by Jayli from Massachusetts

3.11/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Picked this one up at Gordon's on Main St. and they still have a few bottles left.

A: This beer pours a clear golden color with a one finger of off white sudsy head. Head recedes relatively quickly and leaves tons of sticky sheets of lacing.

S: Nose is of piney, grassy hops and a deep malt base.

T: Taste starts with a strong caramel malt presence. Then a strong rye presence comes through. A touch of butteriness, and spicey, grassy hops come through. Strong malt backbone finishes out this beer.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation, oily body with sticky finish.

D: Ok balance, goes down ok, not very filling. It's an interesting beer, but I would opt for others of the style.
Feb 24, 2010
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.31/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
My pour created a nice finger of off-tan head with decent retention. Color was an ornagish-amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a pleasant biscuit smell underlain by mild hops. Mouthfeel was medium with a welcome contrast of biscuit-y malt up front, followed by a mild hop bite behind. Finish was more malty than bitter, but the hops were there. I really though that this was more of an English-style IPA than an American one. I really liked it, but stylistically, it just was not up to snuff.
Feb 16, 2010
Photo of craytonic
Reviewed by craytonic from District of Columbia

2.9/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Appearance: Deep brown amber pour, much darker than expected. Not much head, but decent lacing down the glass.

Smell: Not nearly enough hops, too much rye malt.

Taste: Rye malts overpower the hops. Perhaps some pine resins but not much

Mouthfeel: A bit watery, but coats the mouth in an odd way.

Drinkability: Decent, but needs a bit more hops to get it down (and match the style). More rye pale ale than IPA. I guess it would get you drunk, but not good for much else.
Nov 08, 2009
Photo of MrHurmateeowish
Reviewed by MrHurmateeowish from Maine

4/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
22oz bomber purchased at McKinnon's in Salem, NH. Pours a hazy amber-brown body with almost a half inch of off-white head that dissipates rather quickly but clings to the side of the glass rather nicely. Some citrussy hops dominate the aroma with a fair bit of caramel and chocolate malt to balance. Hops hit first, with lemon and grapefruit initially, with some caramel, toffee, and chocolate notes to balance. Hints of rye also. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Pleasant, balanced, and rather drinkable. Wasn't optimistic about this one, but this beer exceeded all my expectations. Relatively balanced and tasty. Nice.
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of CHILLINDYLAN
Reviewed by CHILLINDYLAN from Washington

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Clear golden bronze. Small creamy whiteish head that dissipated quickly into a pool of oils. Small sticky webs of frosty laces.

Spicy, herbal, pine sap, slight grapefruit. Sweet toffee, hint of marshmellow and chocolate. Hops are somewhat muted, but a nice complex nose.

Sweet malty twang of toffee and spicy rye with a hint of chocolate and some marshmellow. Tart and bitter with hops flavors including spicy herbs and resins, pine sap, and grapefruit. Mostly bittering hops, hop flavor and aroma are somewhat muted.

Dry, crisp, refreshing, sticky, med body, lively carbonation

Malt forward balanced IPA with lots of hop bitterness, but lacking in hop flavor and aroma (which keeps it from ranking higher). The rye is always welcome in hoppy IPAs. spicy dry and refreshingly bitter brew. Above average.
Oct 27, 2009
Photo of BeerSox
Reviewed by BeerSox from Virginia

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22oz bottle into nonic.

I'm not sure what to think about this one. The only Pale Ale I could find on their website was the RyePA, but the bottle label clearly states IPA. There is no ingredient list on the bottle. While the flavor is toasty, it does exhibit the slight tartness that usually comes with rye beers, but it's hard to definitively say that's what it is. Unlike other rye beers, this one is short on the hops, which seems like a negative since it's labeled as an IPA. Full bodied, plenty of carbonation. Overall it's pretty drinkable.
Sep 13, 2009
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Shiny kumquat with golden honey colored highlights. A large crown of sandstone colored creaminess was created on the pour and hangs around for a spell. Tiny bubbles on the rumpled surface create tiny pits when they burst. Attractive lace helps the cause.

The distinctive earthy spiciness of rye malt is appreciated in the nose. Unfortunately, the hops don't make much of a splash, which is a definite no-no in a beer of this (supposed to be hoppy) style. The lineup includes Amarillo, Tettnang and Nugget. Time and warming help just enough to pull it (barely) above average.

Halligan IPA, as my label reads, is a decent rye-malted ale. Many more mouthfuls will need to be consumed in order to determine whether or not it's better than just decent. The ABV is on the low side for the stated style, but since Pennichuck thinks it's an IPA, then it's an IPA. With respect to bitterness, I agree with the brewery.

Founders Red's Rye is superb because it features rye malt *and* an explosive hoppiness. This brew comes through on the first part of the deal, not so much on the second. Flavors include lightly buttered rye toast, bitter grasses, apricots, orange peel and grapefruit zest. If the brewery could find a way to unlock more good hop flavor, they'd have an unqualified winner on their hands.

As the look and the sound of the pour suggested it would be, the mouthfeel gets it done in fine fashion (especially considering the ABV). It's easily medium for the style and is smooth and supple. The carbonation adds just the right amount of energy.

Halligan IPA flies straight and true, but it just misses the bull's eye. With a few well-chosen tweaks, this could be damn good beer. It's great to see breweries starting to combine rye malt and American hops. Thanks to damienblack for the bottle.
Sep 01, 2009
Photo of Berthold
Reviewed by Berthold from New Hampshire

3.71/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured clear amber (SRM9) with a thick off white head that diminished slowly. Hoppy citrus nose with moderately malty sweet in the aroma . Moderate citrus esters balanced with a caramel/toffee malt flavor. Spiciness of rye is apparant and comes through in the dry finish. A well balanced rye beer.
Aug 20, 2009
Photo of LilBeerDoctor
Reviewed by LilBeerDoctor from New York

3.38/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle. Pours a cloudy brown with a small white head. Aroma of rye grains and lots of caramel malt. Flavor is quite malty, perhaps a touch of fruits. Still pretty bland and I really don't get any defining characteristics from this one, just sweet malt. Overall, drinkable but dull.
Aug 07, 2009
Photo of BDLbrewster
Reviewed by BDLbrewster from Minnesota

3.26/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy, evil looking ruby red with an orange hue. Little, quickly disappearing head that leaves some soapy lacing.

The rye is there in the nose, along with that kind of dingy stale smell that a lot of PAs throw off. Some moldy grapefruit peel comes to mind as well. Nothing magical.

The taste brings visions of a big open field on a hot, humid day. Tastes grassy and a little herbal. A noble hop profile contributes to the aroma but adds almost no bitterness to this brew. There is some musty taste too, I seem to get that a lot from east coast PAs. Weird, but I am starting to appreciate it.

Mouthfeel makes me want more, even if it's not totally in tune with the style. Perfect amount of carbonation, very light bodied and doesn't coat your mouth.

Overall I wouldn't grab this if your in the mood for a hoppy IPA, this is more like a PA with rye. No real bitterness, but it does go down very easily.
Jul 13, 2009
Photo of dhd1491
Reviewed by dhd1491 from Georgia

3.8/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours clear, light amber-copper. Head of off-white bubbles die down quickly; leaves little lacing on glass. Faint yeasty aroma.

Taste is a bit watery. Biscuity and yeasty with some toasted malts and not much hoppiness. I would have a hard time identifying this as an IPA in a blind taste test. Some caramel and butter notes add some points to the taste score.

Mouthfeel is a bit fizzy, but brew is quite easy to drink overall. Not bad, but not what I look for in an IPA.
Jul 11, 2009
Photo of thekevlarkid
Reviewed by thekevlarkid from Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Out of a bomber this beer was a cloudy, honey-amber color with a decent amount of rising carbonation. The two finger head of beige foam displayed good retention as a thin cap and left decent lacing. The aroma was of herbal hops, toasted malt, alcohol some cellar-y quality. The flavors were similar, and rather unimpressive. I tasted the toasted malt and pale malt upfront followed by the herbal hops and some light floral elements. The bitterness was quite distinct and the pale malt presence strong enough that the beer didn't really have the American IPA character I was expecting. Dry and acidic. The mouthfeel was smooth but oily, the body medium and the carbonation medium/light. An OK beer, but not a strong example of the style.
Jul 06, 2009
Photo of callmescraps
Reviewed by callmescraps from Massachusetts

2.23/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Grabbed it on a whim. Something not available back in SoCal.

Appearance - Clear, small head sticks around. Deep copper color, almost brown. Darker than most IPAs. Tons of tiny air bubbles cling to the sides of the pint glass.

Smell - Lots of sweet, definitely the rye. Not a whole lot of hops going on. Very malty. Almost roasted. Doesn't seem like an IPA.

Taste - Still sweet. Definitely the roast coming through. Almost no hop notes. Pretty thin as well. Sort of watery.

Mouthfeel - Very thin. Watery. Light.

Drinkability - Fairly poor. I may not bother finishing the bottle. The roast rye taste sort of lingers.

Ugh. This was a poor decision. Just not a terribly good beer. Not a huge fan of the rye IPA generally, but this didn't do anything for me. I really missed the hops, just didn't seem like an IPA to me. More like a normal rye. Just not much of the IPAness.
Jul 01, 2009
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
From the 650 ml bottle with no lot code or expiration date noticeable. Sampled on June 25, 2009. It pours a kind of amber-gold with decent carbonation and a long lasting, but small, puffy beige head. The aroma seems more sweeter than hoppy for an IPA although the fresh hops are there and you cannot miss them. The mouthfeel runs about medium and sort of smooth like honey. The taste tends to be a lot sweeter than most IPA's, which is why I actually kind of liked it. IPA purists may not find it to be hoppy enough but since IPA's are low on my list of styles, I actually enjoyed its sweetness and it merged well with my tastebuds.
Jun 25, 2009
Photo of ckeegan04
Reviewed by ckeegan04 from Texas

3.81/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A - Golden orange with a frothy off-white head.. Head is about one finger t hick and quickly fades to a thin, 1/2 inch cap on the beer.

S - Strong aroma of sweet breads, rye spice, and a fruity hoppiness. The sweetness is the dominant aroma. The rye adds a nice touch to the aroma that is not often found in American IPA's. Still, this beer is very very sweet in the nose to the point of being almost too sweet.

T - Very sweet up front with a strong sweet bread taste. The spiciness quickly comes in to balance and then is followed by a fruity bitterness. A very interesting wave of flavors in this one. The bitterness is very mild but does carry through the drinking experience. I would have to take the pale ale over their IPA, but this is still a very good beer.

M/D - Medium bodied and on the dry side, thanks to the rye I would assume. No noticeable alcohol taste. Carbonation is at a good level without being over carbonated. Drinkability is very high on this beer.
Jun 25, 2009
Photo of philbe311
Reviewed by philbe311 from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A - Two and a half fingers of tightly packed batter like white head... Impressive retention... Pale copper color... Moderate carbonation...

S - Surprisingly sweet... Caramel... Toffee... Some dark fruit and sweet citrus... Slightly buttery... Rye...

T - The malts are the first to hit the pallate with minor amounts of caramel and toffee... Some sweet citrus... Lots of extra spicy rye... A nice collection of hops (amarillo, nugget, & tettnang)... A combination of rye and hops linger... Unfortunately, there are a lot of great components here, but the don't seem to work in concert and seem to be disjointed...

M - The creamy head is the first thing to reach your lips... Above average carbonation... Medium bodied... Some faint oily hop resins...

D - The beer looks good and smells very good, but seems to fall a little short in terms of taste... Quite drinkable at 5.1 ABV, but far from memorable...
Jun 12, 2009
Photo of PhxHorn
Reviewed by PhxHorn from Arizona

2.98/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This one came as a bonus from jwc215. It pours a medium yellow/orange, with a half inch white head which leaves a layer on the glass. Smells mildly of hops and some yeast. Taste was a bit lacking--mostly a yeasty and malty flavor, with very little hop presence. More like an IPA with a rye aftertaste. As it warmed up, though, it took on some unfortunate macro-lager characteristics. While the head was healthy, the mouthfeel was a bit flat and lacking in the tingle you'd expect from proper carbonation. This one seemed like it had a lot of promise when I got my first whiff of it, but didn't quite follow through. I do appreciate the beer, though, Joe!
May 28, 2009
Halligan RyePA from Pennichuck Brewing Company, Inc.
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 61 ratings