Rye One On
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

As I continue to winnow through the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, I am finding beers that I do not even remember purchasing! In fact, I have so many DuClaw beers hanging around that I am embarking on a horizontal tasting for the next few days. This should be interesting.

From the bottle: "This medium-bodied RyePA is hop forward with big flavors and aromas of citrus and pine from a blend of hops, yet remains balanced by a sweet malt backbone and peppery accents of rye that linger throughout its dry, spicy finish. Now pop that top and ... Rye One On!"; "Respect_the_Fluid".

I Pop!ped the cap & decided to resume respecting the fluid with a gentle pour. I know that this one was a semi-recent purchase, but since I do not remember precisely when I bought it, I figured that gentility might be in order. Plus, it is showing as "Retired", which I am not sure is the case. For instance, the label is much different than the one in the pic, plus the name has been modified, hence the verbiage in parentheses. Once in the glass, I gave it a vigorous swirl to raise two-plus fingers of dense, deep-tan/light-brown head with good retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a peppery mintiness that could even be considered peppermint with a caramel maltiness underlying it. Mmmm. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was very peppery, less minty than on the nose, but the caramel malts helped to balance the spicy bite that I was getting on the tongue. Finish was actually cool and minty, with a dryness that lingered well past the swallow. Inhaling, it was very cool, as though I had just finished with mouthwash. Mmmm.

12 oz bottle from SC with a 12/2015 bottling date.

Slightly hazy copper body with visible carbonation flowing up to an large, creamy, beige head. Exceptional retention and lacing.

Spicy aroma dominated by rye and hops.
The flavor is a bit more balanced, with some swet and bready grains under the hops and rye. Moderately bitter.

 

 

 

Ryes can be a bit dark and bitter. This take on it is a bit easy to take for the occasional dabble into the style.

It starts a pretty copper brown with fine head. The aroma is hoppy and malty, definitely rye. The taste betrays that just a bit. It is not nearly as dark and bitter as expected. And that's fine.

It should be3 noted that these bottles I have are dated March of this year. Blame my vendor.

This is a good starter rye, as per my sample. Easy drinking for the style. Recommended.

Pours clear, amber in color with 1/2 inch head. Taste is caramel, grapefruit, orange, and a shot of rye. Bitter but not overly so. Medium-heavy bodied. A tasty sipper. Would not rush out to get a six, but this is a quality brew.

This is a good rye IPA - but we're waiting for Yards to bring theirs out (not till the fall)

BOD 12/12/15. Medium brown pour with heavy particulate matter in semi-suspension. Outstanding head volume, lacing and retention.

Very good light nose of rye over malt with strong caramel notes As it warms, light fruit esters are noted.

Light medium body that has a touch of slickness. Superb carbonation / body balance with a nice effervescent middle burst and a nice prickly finish.

The flavor profile is very good. Intensity is spot on delivering a nice rye spicy punch over a balancing caramel sweetness. Complexity is weak with this being basically a 2 element profile. Rye leads and is counterbalanced with caramel in the middle. Bitterness is light and of a pine and citrus nature. From the middle on, rye spiciness kicks in over an increasingly grainy base. The finish is a slow fade of grainy rye with a touch of citrus over caramel.

Deep Amber and billowy head. Mixed fruit aroma with hints of pine and caramel. Lots of spicy, fruity grain in the flavor with a bitter grapefruit finish. Plenty of flavor and medium body--a satisfying drinker. I suspect this one is a bit underrated. Glad I gave it a chance, and wouldn't mind some more.

Looks - copperish/amberish hues, really nice reds shining through. Decent amount of foam that dissipates over time.

Smell - citrusy and spicy (almost evergreen at times)

Taste - Bitter and spicy.

Feel - Pretty thin, but it is a 7% IPA so that is not surprising.

Overall - pretty good RIPA.

Nice rye ipa. Purchased from a distributor in a case of bottles.

Look - It poured a really nice amber with decent head that slowly fades.

Aroma - Rye, malty, and a touch of citrus

Taste - Pretty much what you expect from a good rye IPA. Spicy, caramel with a nice hop bitterness in the after taste.

A - Less than a finger's worth of slightly crisp slightly creamy medium khaki colored froth that recedes fairly quickly leaving an even veil of mostly thick lacing with a bare spot here and there... The color is a deep warm copper... A moderate bit of fairly quick paced carbonation rises throughout... A good bit of sediment is suspended throughout out (given the style, I'm not quite sure what it is)...

S - A strong malt base dominates... Loads of caramel and toffee... Sweet breads... Cereal grains... Further beneath the surface are some rich earthy hops... Also detected a bit of milk chocolate which seems to be slightly out of place...

T - The hops are much more assertive on the palate... They are sharp and have a pronounced bitterness from the get go with intensifies throughout... Next is spicy goodness of the rye addition which adds nice depth and complexity... These both sit atop a mild malt base of biscuit and caramel... Again, picking up a bit of chocolate nibs on the deep finish... Lots going on, but I'm not quite sure everything works quite so well together...

M - On the fuller side of medium bodied... Sharp carbonation... Slightly chewy... A bit chalky on the finish...

D - I've generally had a hit or miss relationship with DuClaw... I'm a big fan of some of their beers and not so much for others... This one has enough depth and complexity to keep you interested throughout... What I'm picking up as chocolate notes on both the nose and palate kept be intrigued throughout... The end result is solid and slightly above average offering... Not sure that I would go out of my way to recommend, but I would never try to deter any from trying either... In it's simplest terms, this is just a solid yet unremarkable offering, but one that I'll have no problem finishing off...

 

I tried this bottle chilled in a tulip.

The color is dark ruby with bronze look when held to the light with dark amber body and 2+ fingers of light beige head with average bead. The smell is malt forward with dry toast aroma and light hop-wise with yeast ester adding slight berry-like dried fruit scent. The feel is decent with good balance of malt with medium bitterness perceived with light toasted texture and medium carbonation with increasing bitterness and mild alcohol with mostly dry finish.

The flavor of rye is present with hops that are pine-like with a mild fruity and bitter mix with hop flavor and slight toast in the malt with rye quality that also has a slight raisin-like fruitiness with gentle malt sweetness to support the hop flavor and slight prune-like earthy quality with a long lingering bitter finish. Overall this is a very decent beer but as far as enjoyment compared to other Rye Ipa's for rating this is about average. The bitterness is there but the hop flavor is lacking. I do appreciate the rye malt in the taste.