Brewed By: Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, Ohio
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2013
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, Illinois; 2013
Style/ABV: Rye IPA, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: 92
I haven't dabbled with Great Lakes Brewing since Christmas, so why not toss in a short review to cap off the weekend. About Great Lakes:
Great Lakes Brewing Company was founded on September 6th, 1988, brothers Patrick Daniel and Conway Daniel. It became the first microbrewery in the state of Ohio. The brewery expanded both in 1992 and 1998, and in 2010 and 2011 the brewery spent over 7 million dollars to improve their brewery and brewery equipment. The brewery produces over 100,000 barrels annuals, and serves 13 states and Washington D.C.. According to the Brewers Association "top 50 breweries list" from 2010, Great Lakes Brewing Company is ranked #22 for beer sales as a craft brewer, and #31 for beer sales in general (in America). You can take a stroll to the Great Lakes Brewing history page to get the full story about the brewery.
If you check out the Rye of the Tiger IPA page, you can get all the essentials for this beer. Clocking in at 7.5%, this one is pushing an impressive 92 IBUs. This one uses Harrington 2-Row Base Malt, Crystal 45, Biscuit, and Rye malts. This one is hopped with Columbus, Warrior, and Simcoe hops. Suggested food pairings are fried chicken, blue cheese, and spiced desserts; this one is described as an "India Pale Ale with bite." Let's glass it up and see how it goes.
This one pours a light amber/orange color in low light, with a transparent body that has a ton of visible carbonation in the form of mid-to-large sized bubbles. I kicked up two fingers of creamy, thick, slightly off-white head. In bright light, this beer has almost a Pilsner-esque, dark gold color. There's a ton of carbonation streaming upwards, and the head is creamy, off-white, and sustaining nicely. Swirling the beer yields your typical IPA lacing.
The aroma on the nose is subtle...and dare I say a bit mild. I'm pulling out a lot of citrus, woody hops, resin, and some big peppery/rye spice. There's a bit of pine, and some rye bread on the nose as well. The rye is fairly pronounced on the aroma, and definitely differentiates this from your standard IPA.
For a beer pushing 92 IBUs, this one is still fairly balanced. While you do get some woody and super dry hop kick on the back, this one opens up with sticky and sweet citrus, some caramel, bread, and then the beer blasts you with rye. The mid palate dials up the rye spice and rye bread, with tons of wonderful rye. The back palate is where you feel the brunt of the 92 IBUs, with woody pine, citrus rind, and dry bitterness.
This is very balanced, has a nice rye-forward flavor profile, and works for the style. This is drinkable, but I wouldn't describe this as a beer you would drink excessively. At 7.5% and 92 IBUs, this is on the extreme end of the style. This works as a sipper, but you could also put two of these back during a game. Complexity is simple and low, but palate depth is wonderful. The mouthfeel is medium-full and fairly smooth...aided by creamy and assertive carbonation. You get lots of sweet, sticky hops and caramel up front; this transitions into big rye flavors and rye spice; the back end is lingering rye spice with dry woody hops.
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| Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger |
This one pours a light amber/orange color in low light, with a transparent body that has a ton of visible carbonation in the form of mid-to-large sized bubbles. I kicked up two fingers of creamy, thick, slightly off-white head. In bright light, this beer has almost a Pilsner-esque, dark gold color. There's a ton of carbonation streaming upwards, and the head is creamy, off-white, and sustaining nicely. Swirling the beer yields your typical IPA lacing.
The aroma on the nose is subtle...and dare I say a bit mild. I'm pulling out a lot of citrus, woody hops, resin, and some big peppery/rye spice. There's a bit of pine, and some rye bread on the nose as well. The rye is fairly pronounced on the aroma, and definitely differentiates this from your standard IPA.
This is very balanced, has a nice rye-forward flavor profile, and works for the style. This is drinkable, but I wouldn't describe this as a beer you would drink excessively. At 7.5% and 92 IBUs, this is on the extreme end of the style. This works as a sipper, but you could also put two of these back during a game. Complexity is simple and low, but palate depth is wonderful. The mouthfeel is medium-full and fairly smooth...aided by creamy and assertive carbonation. You get lots of sweet, sticky hops and caramel up front; this transitions into big rye flavors and rye spice; the back end is lingering rye spice with dry woody hops.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. This beer does a great job balancing the rye with the hops, and it pretty much delivers what it promises in a nice refined package. I don't have a lot to complain about -- and, in fact -- I really like the intense bitterness this beer brings to the table. At 92 IBUs, this one will keep you engaged. And that has nothing to do with cock-waving or dick-fighting or whatever "throw your penis around to prove your beer is the geekiest and most extreme" metaphor you can come up with. Like most of Great Lakes stuff, this one is refined and classy. The intense bitterness and rye spice would work well with spicy chicken wings, or assertive cheeses. I would pair this with a burger or pizza or wings. At 10 bucks a 6-pack...this is a steal.
Random Thought: After a hell of a week, I'm looking forward to a calm, relaxing, boring week.
I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. This beer does a great job balancing the rye with the hops, and it pretty much delivers what it promises in a nice refined package. I don't have a lot to complain about -- and, in fact -- I really like the intense bitterness this beer brings to the table. At 92 IBUs, this one will keep you engaged. And that has nothing to do with cock-waving or dick-fighting or whatever "throw your penis around to prove your beer is the geekiest and most extreme" metaphor you can come up with. Like most of Great Lakes stuff, this one is refined and classy. The intense bitterness and rye spice would work well with spicy chicken wings, or assertive cheeses. I would pair this with a burger or pizza or wings. At 10 bucks a 6-pack...this is a steal.
Random Thought: After a hell of a week, I'm looking forward to a calm, relaxing, boring week.
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