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I will admit to having moved this bottle to the back of the fridge a couple times. I am not looking forward to this. I'm just not a fan of rye, in general. I think I have tried some rye-based hard liquors in the past, and I have certainly had rye bread, and it is very different in those two configurations, but neither one is good. Will it be good as a basis for this beer? I had some beer that was based on rye in the past, and it might have put me into some kind of fugue state so that I don't distinctly remember it. Well, sample packs are what they are.
It pours a lot darker than I would have expected, but I'm not really sure I should have been expecting anything specific. Yes, it says IPA, but the rye is going to do quite a bit to the beer. The fluffy, off-white head is kind of nice looking, but it's not going to be leaving any lacing as it boils down to a quarter inch thick pillow unevenly layered completely across the top of the beer. The aroma is immediately changing my mind on this beer. It is sweet, and it smells very good with light spices, but that caramel and toffee malt are mixing with bread, and the whole thing is more like a double IPA in presentation then an IPA.
First sip is not the horror that I had originally feared. The rye is giving the beer a warmth and stickiness that merges very well into the toffee malt and pine hops. It's not light, and it's not crisp, but not every IPA has to be. What is really confounding to me is the fact that the malt is standing out so much more than the hops. Pine hops have never been my favorite style, but I think I can sense some citrus dabbled in there with it to give it a bit more brightness to the spice-filled night.
Tip-in is pepper and grains with a very light citrus spritz just barely sprayed upon the top and carbonation starting a sizzling that threatens to come into a ruckus. The carbonation ruckus never occurs, as the middle becomes smooth with toffee and honey augmenting the black pepper and spices that have been kissed by pine and citrus. The finish is a little off-putting with the rye asserting the grain and pepper in what should otherwise be a serene trail off.
Bottom Line: I had my fears, and not all of them were founded.
2.25/5
