Feedback on a Rye IPA, would be appreciated.

“ …it definitely has some citrus...but not much grapefruit...” Yeah, that is pretty much how my palate perceives Centennial but I would have stated: it definitely has lots of citrus.

Below is copy of a review of Two Hearted by BuckeyeNation; he uses the word grapefruit several times. We all have our own unique palate and we all perceive flavors/aroma in different ways.

BuckeyeNation
Iowa

4.93/5 rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I've been meaning to re-review Bell's Two Hearted Ale ever since I had the bottle that led to my first review because I was convinced that it had seen better days. I bought an uber fresh sixer on my recent trip to Ohio and have worked my way through it over the past few weeks. Since I've been more impressed with each passing bottle, this last one should be otherworldly. Damn, I knew I should have bought more than six.

Ripe apricot-amber with an all-encompassing cloud of fine particulates. The ivory colored cap contains the barest blush of pale orange and is a thing of beauty. Milkshake creamythick and hop resin sticky, it leaves buttery thick sheets of minutely pocked lace on the glass that will, no doubt, have to be removed with gallons of scalding water.

Ah... the intoxicating aroma of fresh Centennial hops! As I drank the other bottles, I debated the gloriousness of Two Hearted's nose. At this moment in time, however, I can't imagine a better smelling IPA. The insanely bright, incandescent, pungent, grapefruit juicy hops cement the notion in my mind that every member of the 4-Cs, whether used alone or in combination, and if used skillfully, are the best beer hops in the world, hands down.

I know what this beer tastes like with some age on it and now I know what it tastes like fresh. It has barely passed the 4-week mark from the time of bottling to my mouth... and it tastes like it. A more than solid backbone of buttery soft, teasingly sweet pale malt greets my every sip and is still very nearly annihilated by a hop explosion that is so fresh and so immediate that it makes me want to weep.

This is one of the best examples of a 'candied white grapefruit sections' IPA that I can think of. Spruce makes a welcome contribution, but nothing else gets in the way of the grapefruit love. If I had to think of one word to describe this beer, that word would be 'beautiful'. I'm not talking about the appearance, although it looks great, but about the entire experience. Two Hearted tastes so perfectly balanced, so deliciously hoppy, so... sublime, that beautiful is the only word that truly fits.

The mouthfeel is a smidgen lighter than I'd like, but that's such obvious nitpicking that I'm embarrassed to type it. It's supremely smooth and silky, making the drinking as natural as breathing. An absolutely perfect amount of carbonation doesn't hurt what is, quite simply, mouth candy.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale is a world-class IPA, period. In fact, I'm considering an e-mail assault on the talented Mr. Bell until he decides to extend his distribution area this far west. If I had this fine ale within easy reach, it would have a permanent place in my beer fridge. With regular consumption, say a sixer every week, I'd probably begin to tire of it in... oh, about 2035.

 

I'm thinking now, that this could be one of the few ales (rye) that might benefit from an American herbal hop like Nugget and/or Willamette, but maybe not with IPA quantities/dryhopping...just thinking outloud.

I brewed a citrusy`Rye IPA recently that was well-received, but didn't do that much for my palate.

 

Well now you've got me thinking inwardly since I have a couple ounces of Nugget...

 

I'll take a citrusy rye IPA any day over anything made with nugget... Wilamette on the other hand might be pretty nice.

 

OBVIOUSLY from the West Coast...no Nugget Nectar love? : ) ...not that it has any rye in it.

 

Great bittering hop to 15 min...but be careful (frugal) with very late additions IMHO.

 

I get the suntan lotion thing from nugget nectar, with some pretty coarse bitterness. Every once and a while theres just a beer out there that doesn't do it for me, but does it for everyone else.

 

Was that SPF 30 or 15? : )

I had a son living in PA that sent me some fresh NN...tell me yours were stale autumn bottles : )

 

Fuggles and EKG's are a great combo, and how strong the EKG's are depends on where you source them

Back to the GP/MO base w/rye, what Greenkrusty was saying is that the GP/MO will overpower the rye, not the otherway around. Using 2-row will help to bring out the rye flavor, with GP/MO it will be more muted.

Right now Im drinking a Rye table beer Pils/unmalted rye thats great! Ive used MO/Rye in the past and the two flavors fight a bit neither shining as much as I wouldve liked. For the beer I used serebrianka hops (high humulene/farnesene) its very earthy/herbal/floral and plays exceptionally well with the rye, which makes me really think that the fuggles and EKG's would be a great combo

As to the honeymalt, for my taste buds 1/2# is overkill, it has an intense cloying sweet/honey-like flavor in the finish of any beer its added to. If you stick with the MO/GP get rid of the honeymalt, if you use 2-row get rid of the honeymalt A medium crytal would likely play better with the rye flavors (calvados/spice)

 

I'll second this, lighter, plainer base malts will accentuate the rye.

The one exception to the rule that I've found is Weyermann pale malt, which for some reason works really well with rye yet also supplies a little bit of richness to the beer without getting in the way of the rye.

Also agree that 1/2 lb of honey malt is too much. I tend to go with 2-4 oz max of honey malt. If you want some deeper malt flavor, sub it out with aromatic.

 

I've brewed a bit over the years with honey malt. It's sort of an odd duck. Tasted raw it has a certain honey like sweetness which, at least for me, has never really transitioned into the final product. It isn't a crystal malt, more like an amped up Munich or Vienna malt in my experience. Intensely bready and a bit nutty. Great stuff. Honestly, I think your original recipe looks great. Great but for the Cluster hops which I've never brewed with because R Mosher scared me away from them years ago.

 

A nickname for Centennial hops is Super Cascade, though, I don't think they taste much like Cascades. They are however intensely citrusy, like orange juice, not grapefruit.

 

Nugget sounds good there. But then again I think some piney earthy chinook sounds better. I don't get a ton of fruit or citrusy notes from chinook. Minimal at best.

 

To my palate, 2.5# of rye can easily be muted by GP/MO, though 1/2# of honeymalt is also over the top to my tastebuds so to each his own, sounds more like the hop bill is your concern and I say go with fuggles/EKG

 

I get more sweet orange than grapefruit from Centennial along with floral notes.

 

didnt see this one coming, thought you didnt want a citrusy hop profile??