Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale (Harpoon Brewery)

I finally was able to find a bottle of this stuff. Not only do I love beers brewed with rye but this one also has my name (well, nickname) in the name! When it comes to your name there are three things you can never pass up:

1 ~ If a pub bears your name you must go in for at LEAST one pint (read McCarthy's Bar for more on that)

2 ~ If you're ever at a racetrack and a horse/dog bears your name you MUST bet on it regardless of the odds

3 ~ If you ever see a beer that has your name on the label you must buy and drink that beer

Old Rusty (a.k.a. Russ Heisner) was Harpoon's first employee. He was the brewer responsible for Harpoon's first beer, Harpoon Ale. I'm not sure what Russ does now for a day job, its not brewing, but the good fellows at Harpoon invited him back as a guest brewer on the 23rd installment of their 100 Barrel Series.

The Old Rusty Red Rye pours a deep, clean amber color with hints of reddish orange. Carbonation looks spot on as the head is nice and foamy and thick. As the head slowly fades it leaves a nice lacing behing and a half finger of foam thats bubbly and looks like the underside of a pancake thats yet to be flipped.

Smells of sweet fruit and apples abound. Reminds me of a weizenbock at first. Malty sweetness and some yeasty qualities round out the smells.

Taste is definitely unique. Its sweet at first with a dry spiciness in the finish that I'll attribute to the rye. The juicy apple smells that were apparent at first are a lot less noticeable in the taste. That being said, there is some sweetness that is very well proportioned. Their is no major hop presence with this beer but thats not a surprise based on the IBUs. Overall, its a nicely balanced rye ale that is extremely drinkable. I'm a fan. Cheers Old Rusty!

BEER FACTS

Name: Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale (100 Barrel Series #23)

Style: Rye Beer/Red Ale

Brewery: Harpoon Brewery

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: ?

Hops: German Halletauer

ABV: 6.5%

IBUs: 38

Hop Rod Rye (Bear Republic Brewing Co.)

Let me preface this write-up by saying that this is by far one of my favorite beers from one of my favorite little breweries. If you've not had a beer from Bear Republic you are truly missing out!

The label on the Hop Rod Rye reads:

"Hop Rod Rye is a high performance, turbo charges, alcohol burnin' monster ale with dual overhead hop injection, made with 18% rye."

This beer is responsible for my fascination with what rye can do for a beer...especially when an absolute boatload of hops are also included.

Pours a dark ruby red almost brown color. Its nice and clean and definitely still fresh! The head is BIG, rich and foamy. Its 3-4 fingers in thickness and is very slow to seep back into the delicious liquid from which it came.

The smell is exceptionally fresh and hoppy. Lots of floral scents coming from the head on this beer. Along with the big hop presence is some malty sweet aromas and a slight hint of the moderately high alcohol content.

A nice big swig makes my mouth very happy. There is lots of hop bitterness matched with malty sweetness and that distinct spiciness that only rye malt can provide. That spiciness hits your tongue and the back of your throat in a very interesting way. Its kind of drying and provides a nice little kick. Its also the taste that lingers longest after you've swallowed.

This is a nicely balanced strong IPA. The rye is a great feature with this beer and the hoppiness this one provides will certainly not let down any hopheads.

BEER FACTS

Name: Hop Rod Rye

Style: Extra Special Bitter

Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Company

Location: Healdsburg, California, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Rye and ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 8%

IBUs: 90+