I usually have unequivocal support for Ratebeer, but they really confused me with this one. There's a whole style of beers called rye beer. These beers use rye grain as one of the primary ingredients to give the beer a nice, complex, rye characteristic. Noticeable examples include the beer I'm reviewing right now, Founders Red's Rye PA, as well as Two Brothers Brewing's Cane and Ebel.
The controversy or confusion at hand is the way Ratebeer has decided to categorize these two beers. The short story is that Ratebeer dumped Cane and Ebel into the American Strong Ale category, and the Founders Red's Rye into the Specialty Grain category. I believe that these two beers are both rye beers, and should be compared similarly.
According to Ratebeer, the "Speciality Grain" category categorizes beer that is made using specialty grain, including rye. Today's beer is the number one-ranked specialty grain beer on Ratebeer, sitting in the number one spot.
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| Two Brothers Brewing Co |
Meanwhile, Cane and Ebel, "A hopped Up Red Rye Ale," brewed with Thai palm sugar and rye, is placed into Ratebeer's "American Strong Ale" category. This poses a legitimate issue because it takes the Two Brothers' excellent rye ale and stacks it up against a bunch of over-the-top American Strong Ales. This is an issue for three reasons:
1) Cane and Ebel seems more like a rye ale than an American Strong Ale
2) Within the American Strong Ale category are a bunch of really good beers and a lot of hyped up beers with ridiculous rankings (E.G. Sam Adams Millennium, Lost Abbey Deliverance, Firestone Walker's lineup, Arrogant Bastard Ale, etc.)
3) DON'T COMPARE APPLES TO ORANGES!!!! How do you even compare a beer like Arrogant Bastard to Cane and Ebel? It doesn't make sense. And I'm not knocking either beer. I love Stone's Arrogant Bastard, which is an over-the-top example of spectacular brewing. But it's a much different style of beer than a rye ale.
Point number 3 is where it hurts the most. I believe that Cane and Ebel is getting low-balled on Ratebeer for being stacked up against American Strong Ales, when it it clearly more in line with a rye ale or "Specialty Grain."
So who cares and why do I keep talking about Cane and Ebel when I am reviewing a Founders beer. Because I really like Cane and Ebel, bias announced. My concern is simply that Founders Red's Rye PA, a delicious beer, is not being given the right competition on Ratebeer. If you go to BeerAdvocate, their top rye beer is the Founders Red's Rye PA, with Cane and Ebel coming along in the six spot.
Point number 3 is where it hurts the most. I believe that Cane and Ebel is getting low-balled on Ratebeer for being stacked up against American Strong Ales, when it it clearly more in line with a rye ale or "Specialty Grain."
So who cares and why do I keep talking about Cane and Ebel when I am reviewing a Founders beer. Because I really like Cane and Ebel, bias announced. My concern is simply that Founders Red's Rye PA, a delicious beer, is not being given the right competition on Ratebeer. If you go to BeerAdvocate, their top rye beer is the Founders Red's Rye PA, with Cane and Ebel coming along in the six spot.
So there is my confession out in the open, total transparency: I love Cane and Ebel and I think it is slightly more intriguing than the Founders. Having said that, the Founders is more hoppy, drinkable, and balanced. I've had my fair share of Cane and Ebel, and I've already killed 3 of these Red's Rye PAs. So let's dig into bottle number four and get the low-down.
Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Illinois; 2011
Style/ABV: Red Rye Ale, 6.6%
Founders has a great website with lots of good info on their beer. Considered by many to be one of the best breweries in the world, Founders was ranked as the 4th best brewery in the world by Ratebeer (still a credible source, despite missing the style boat every once in a while /sigh). Founders is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was founded in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers (more here). I have to give props to a local brewery, Founders is not far from Chicago and a big part of the Midwest beer scene.
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| Nearly perfect pour; suck it, beer. |
I love an excited beer; premature carbonation, baby. After opening the bottle a bunch of carbonation started creeping out of the neck, which resulted in a rushed pour that turned out better than I could have hoped for. I guess this bottle of beer is pissed; I shouldn't have waxed on about Cane and Ebel for so long.
Red's Rye - 0, Me - 1
This beer has a beautiful red body, with hints of brown and orange escaping in certain light. There is a nice creamy head that is eggshell approaching tan. There is moderate carbonation, and this beer is semi-transparent. It looks filtered, but you cannot see all the way through it. The head is sticking around, at least a good centimeter, which is down from about 3-fingers worth at pour. And there is lacing. Still, I'm pretty egotistical, and I think most men and women would take me over this beer. (Sorry eligible bachelors, I don't play for that team).
Red's Rye - 0, Me - 2
This beer uses Amarillo hops, specifically during dry-hoping, so it should have a nice citrusy aroma and taste. This also is a rye beer brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts. The nose is a decadent bouquet of overripe oranges, grapefruit, dry floral notes, earthy grass, and caramel. This beer hit my nose after opening the bottle, while pouring, and even while mocking it. A good beer pleases my nose before I smell it, and this one got me.
Red's Rye - 1, Me - 2
70 IBUs is nothing to scoff at. That is serious IPA-bitterness. This beer has a nice bitter kick, but it is balanced wonderfully with a slightly sour rye flavor. The hops are solid, with grapefruit and orange rind. While the nose was slightly sweet, this is more bitter. The rye and malt provides a slightly bread quality, with definite traces of sourdough and bread in the beer. The beer is really well balanced, but it doesn't trade off flavor at the expense of it. Imagine the Civil War in your mouth...this is that, with less racism. The website says this beer is spicy...I can't really peg a spice, but I can say that it is very earthy and grassy, and those notes might play off the rye giving some impression of spice. I also don't really note anything specifically Belgian in the taste, so the Belgian malts that were used were more to enhance the American qualities of the beer than to add a Belgian flare.
Red's Rye - 2, Me - 2
This is a full-bodied beer with big depth. The mouthfeel is pretty thick, and this beer is slightly sweet and sticky from the hops. There is just a lot of sugar in this beer. That may pose an issue for non-beer drinkers or people getting into beer...but my take on the situation is that the 70 IBUs and the carbonation keep this beer grounded. This is actually highly drinkable, and goes down pretty smooth despite the 6.6% ABV and 70 IBUs. Very drinkable, and unlike me this one will go down without a complaint.
Red's Rye - 0, Me - 1
This beer has a beautiful red body, with hints of brown and orange escaping in certain light. There is a nice creamy head that is eggshell approaching tan. There is moderate carbonation, and this beer is semi-transparent. It looks filtered, but you cannot see all the way through it. The head is sticking around, at least a good centimeter, which is down from about 3-fingers worth at pour. And there is lacing. Still, I'm pretty egotistical, and I think most men and women would take me over this beer. (Sorry eligible bachelors, I don't play for that team).
Red's Rye - 0, Me - 2
This beer uses Amarillo hops, specifically during dry-hoping, so it should have a nice citrusy aroma and taste. This also is a rye beer brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts. The nose is a decadent bouquet of overripe oranges, grapefruit, dry floral notes, earthy grass, and caramel. This beer hit my nose after opening the bottle, while pouring, and even while mocking it. A good beer pleases my nose before I smell it, and this one got me.
Red's Rye - 1, Me - 2
70 IBUs is nothing to scoff at. That is serious IPA-bitterness. This beer has a nice bitter kick, but it is balanced wonderfully with a slightly sour rye flavor. The hops are solid, with grapefruit and orange rind. While the nose was slightly sweet, this is more bitter. The rye and malt provides a slightly bread quality, with definite traces of sourdough and bread in the beer. The beer is really well balanced, but it doesn't trade off flavor at the expense of it. Imagine the Civil War in your mouth...this is that, with less racism. The website says this beer is spicy...I can't really peg a spice, but I can say that it is very earthy and grassy, and those notes might play off the rye giving some impression of spice. I also don't really note anything specifically Belgian in the taste, so the Belgian malts that were used were more to enhance the American qualities of the beer than to add a Belgian flare.
Red's Rye - 2, Me - 2
This is a full-bodied beer with big depth. The mouthfeel is pretty thick, and this beer is slightly sweet and sticky from the hops. There is just a lot of sugar in this beer. That may pose an issue for non-beer drinkers or people getting into beer...but my take on the situation is that the 70 IBUs and the carbonation keep this beer grounded. This is actually highly drinkable, and goes down pretty smooth despite the 6.6% ABV and 70 IBUs. Very drinkable, and unlike me this one will go down without a complaint.
Red's Rye - 3, Me - 2
Rating: Divine Brew
Score: 91%
The front end is carbonated, smooth, and full of malts and rye; the middle rolls the malts and rye into a big hop beating; the back end takes the hops and finishes with a nice dry, slightly sticky-sweet finish. There are big hops and rye left in the aftertaste, and it stays on your palate for quite a while. This is a big beer that is highly complex and drinkable. It's like a mesh between a really good IPA and a really rye-infused beer.
Red's Rye - 4, Me - 2
Did I just lose to a beer? No, of course not. Because if you think about it, I just drank this beer...so combine all my awesomeness with all of this beer's awesomeness....and bam, I clearly am winning. Me - 6.
This is a Divine Brew...within a beer style that doesn't have a million competitors, but seems to be expanding rapidly. I love so many things about this beer, so I'll start with what I like best. IPAs are a style of beer that have been perfected by everyone and rendered dull because everyone brews an IPA. So all the fun twists on super hoppy beers are hugely welcomed. This is one of those fun twists. This is a beer that is incredibly hoppy and bitter, but it also is balanced by a really nice malt and rye component. I also love how drinkable this beer is. Despite having a huge mouthfeel that is sticky and lasting, there is enough bitterness and carbonation to hold the production together.
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| Lacing, or porn for beer geeks. |
On an Aesthetic note...this beer has epic lacing, which laces the glass down to the bottom. The head also hangs around for the drinking duration. The hop bite also really lingers in my mouth. Even after finishing the bottle, I am still tasting grapefruit and rye some 5+ minutes later. And, Founders is widely available in the Midwest. A 6-pack of this beer is no more than 8 or 9 dollars, which is basically a steal for this much craft, alcohol, and deliciousness.
Ultimately, I can happily recommend this beer. I believe this beer is more hoppy and hop-forward than the Cane and Ebel. But for this year (2011), I still think the Cane and Ebel edges this out as my (my opinion, bitches) favorite rye beer. But this is 2011, and beers change annually and my palate is always evolving. I will be picking this up again for sure, and I will pick up the Cane and Ebel again for sure as well. So perhaps someday I will do a blind comparison. In the meantime, PLEASE pick up this beer, especially if you are a hop-head or like interesting and exotic beers. Highly recommended.
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