Sierra Nevada - Ruthless Rye IPA

In the spirit of last week's post, I'd like to review another rye ale that I think is a better example of the power of rye in beers. It's Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye IPA - a 6.6% ABV India pale ale made with rye.

I really like the caramel color of this beer - it's pretty and the light hits it nicely. As you can see, the beer is well-carbonated. Lots of little bubbles. It's not pictured, but the beer has a nice white frothy head.

There's a strong, crisp, hoppy note to this beer - as expected. The taste itself is excellent - there's a pleasingly-bitter hops taste that's balanced nicely with dry citrus and warm rye flavors. There's a clean, crisp finish and a warm bready aftertaste that's really quite nice. It's smooth, crisp, and finishes nicely on the palette.

This is a great example of a sessionable IPA. It's not overly bitter and is light enough that you can drink several over the course of the night and enjoy it. Plus, since it's made with rye, the taste is sharper but not painfully so. The real treasure in this beer is how it's balanced - there's no taste or burnt anything, nothing super hoppy, but it still packs flavor.

Some people will be put off by this beer - I get that. After all, it's an IPA by Sierra Nevada, which has a reputation for making bitter and strong IPAs. And the folks who don't like IPAs won't be particularly enamored with this. But for those of you who like IPAs and are looking for a treat - pick this up and give it a shot.