REVIEW #95: Ruthless Rye IPA 2012 (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.)

Pours out a dull copper with dirty white head. Strong pine and citrus hops on the nose. Fizzy carbonation brings forth bold APA lemony grapefruit fruit notes. Short, sharp and dry finish which is a little minerally. This is where the spicy, peppery, almost chilli-hot grainy rye malt gets a look in as the hefty hop flavours die down. Not only that but fiery alcohol is felt and a touch of soap as an aftertaste. Very drinkable, the rye lends a uniqueness to what would otherwise be a standard (nevertheless delicious) US IPA.

Ruthless Rye is a new seasonal from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. I've previously reviewed one other Sierra Nevada beer (review #23) but I've probably had more of beers of theirs than any other American brewery (I have 16 of their labels in my collection; probably more than from any other brewery full stop). This is a reflection of their current position as one of America's largest craft brewers. Their size is (thankfully) a product of their quality and comes via deserved success. In fact Sierra Nevada are widely credited as having kick-started the craft beer boom in the US in the early '80s with their now-iconic Pale Ale, a beer which took advantage of the then-new (now beloved) Cascade hop variety... the rest is history!

• MALTS: Pale; caramel; chocolate; rye
• HOPS: BRAVO (BITTERING); CHINOOK & ? (AROMA); CHINOOK, CITRA & ? (DRY HOPPED)
• IBU: 55
• ABV: 6.6%

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