Single Rye IPA (Lemon Drop)
Ritual Brewing Co.

 

 

 

On tap at the Brothers Provisions – Rancho Bernardo, CA
16oz pour into a Nonic style glass – 06/26/2015

A: My pour arrives a bright peachy orange-amber color. The body has a nice glow to it in the light that’s enhanced by the hop haze across the body. A good solid finger width of ivory white foam caps the glass for a few moments before slowly slipping back to a crown. Nicely dense as it leaves only a few thin streamers of lace stuck to the empty glass.

S: The featured hop is expressive with lemon and citrus notes leading into an herbal finish. There is a bold peppery spice produced from the Rye Malt additions as well and I get a healthy dose of caramel malt sweetness too. Hops are fresh and vibrant here which is nice.

T: Rye spice bread is firm in the flavor and plays well into the lemony zing produced from the hops. Like freshly grated citrus at times. Good dose of bitter hops here too with some earthy notes and a definite herbal twist to things in the finish. There is an all-encompassing caramel malt sweetness to this however that clutters things up for me a bit. I could have used a more focused approach but all in all not bad.

M: Moderate to moderately light in body with an even level of bubbly carbonation. There is some mildly constricting bitterness to this that lends into a nice drying finish. Some mild resinous linger detected.

D: Not shabby one bit for a single hop offering. I particularly can appreciate that both key ingredients are showcased well here – that being the Lemondrop hops and Rye Malt featured. Just a tad bit too much Crystal malt sweetness in my opinion but otherwise a fairly solid brew.

 

Pours a murky dark honey orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Thick swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of citrus fruit, citrus zest, lemon juice, and spicy rye aromas. Taste is much the same with citrus zest, lemon juice, earthy hop, and spicy rye flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop and earth bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with definite lemon characteristics from the hops and solid rye aspects all around.

Serving type: bottle.

Intriguing lime peel aroma. Attractive golden amber color with plenty of foam in the wide Affligem chalice. Tangy and spritzy on the tongue.

Distinct spicy rye flavor is the main feature. The hops have a sharp citrusy bite. It would be interesting to compare this with a Citra version. Rather bitter aftertaste, but it seems to be more grainy and not the harsh bitterness of common over-hopping.

An interesting brew that is well worth trying for the hop education. A little warm malt but it's all about the hops. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Bottlecraft in North Park.