Retro Rye IPA
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

Reviewing from memory, have had this brew a few times. My eleventh brew reviewed from these guys. This beer is decent. I have not seen recently, may have been discontinued?

RB transfer

 

Not what I was hoping for, rye blends are not really my go-to, but there are better performers than this in genre. Stick to what harpoon does best, their regular IPA and Winter Warmer.

 

 

Harpoon Brewery "Retro Rye IPA"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle "PKG 336 11/29/21 10:38"
$1.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: A frothy head of off-white foam tops a cloudy golden body. Very fine, visible particulate can be seen in suspension. In the nose it's bready, grainy, sweetish, softly citrusy/otherwise tropical, and piney. The flavor brings in some additional herbal character, and fruity notes of apricot, orange, mango, and berries. The pine remains, and the rye comes through in flavor and spiciness as well. Sometimes the pine character of hops can be too much when combined with the spiciness of the rye but that's not the case here. The bitterness is moderate to median which also helps. It's medium bodied and gently crisp in the mouth. The head held up fairly well, I'll call it standard for a craft brew, and it left some nice lacing behind. In the end this is a pretty good beer but it's hardly what I think of as a "retro rye IPA". On the other hand, I like it better than most of the old rye IPAs that I can remember.
Review #7,959

12 oz bottle from the Wall of Beer in Clemson SC ($1.69). A January 2022 bottling date is stamped on the neck.

Appearance: Golden-amber body that turned increasingly hazy as I poured sediment laden beer from the bottle into my glass. The white head was good and produced very good lacing.

Aroma: Moderate strength but more spicy than average for an IPA partially due, no doubt, to the rye. There's more fruit notes than spiciness.

Flavor: well balanced, with some nice rye spiciness that doesn't add harshness. Bready grains make their appearance mainly in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel; Medium+ carbonation that's soft rather than prickly.

 

 

Harpoon Retro Rye IPA bottle at about 50F poured into a half pint nonic glass, March 2022. The beer shows little evidence of being retro or rye. The retro might be the slight haze? The hops are definitely modern, maybe too modern with little bitter component. I don't taste much rye (but it might be overwhelmed by the hops). I'm not a fan of this beer. I am a fan of the "real" Harpoon IPA.

 

From the bottle, it pours a hazy amber color with a nice large white head that slowly dissipates and leaves lacing. The nose gets a bit of pine and citrus. The taste is slightly sweet with hints of citrus and pine.

 

Lightly-hazy orangey-gold, with light, off-white head.

Smell is pine and candied orange rind. Slight spiciness as it warms. Smells good, but a bit muted.

Taste is is semi-sweet orange rind, moderate pine, and light spiciness on the latter half, lingering into the aftertaste. Moderate, rounded bitterness.

Feel is medium, lightly syrupy/slick, with moderate, very,very fine carbonation tingle. Drying finish and aftertaste/feel.

Overall, pretty good. Not knock-your-socks-off, nor on-par with the best of the rye IPAs (Hop Rod Rye, Wookie Jack, etc) , but good, easy-drinking, and enjoyable.

Poured into a grip shaped goblet: color is hazy gold, head is off white with fine bubbles, presents 1+ finger thick on a mixed pour, head lingers well with lacing on the glass sides and a solid top.

Smell is mixed malt and hops - rye definitely shows through with an earthy presence, hops are citrus, pine, earth, herbal notes. Slightly modernized as other shave noted, and not as sweet or caramelly as a 'classic' rye but the rye is there among the hop.

Taste is similar - mixed hop and malt flavor with a notable earthy/spicy rye that comes through upfront and throughout, mixed hops with citrus, pine, earth, light herbal note.

Mouthfeel is lower carbonation, moderate sweetness, moderate bitterness.

Overall a hazy ipa with rye - miss some of the more classic rye beer characteristics but still noticeable rye character with a modernish hop blend.

As a fan of Harpoon and rye alcohol, I picked up this Retro Rye IPA on a whim. It pours a pale copper color that looks lighter indirect light with a white head. The hops are immediately present on the nose. The flavor is similar to your standard run of the mill IPA but the rye adds a different characteristic. The mouthfeel is pleasant and leaves you wanting more. I could see drinking this again in the future.

 

A: Pours a slightly hazy copper color with 2 fingers of head that fades down to a thin cap that leaves decent lacing

S: Dank and floral hops up front along with a light resinous undertone

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with the rye, dank hops, and some floral undertones. Picks up the resinous notes. Finishes with lingering rye and floral notes

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A solid rye IPA that is easy to drink. Definitely a bit more updated hop-wise than their typical Rich & Dan’s. Worth a drink