Sorry about the late post today, folks. I was out of town this weekend and forgot to have a post ready to go for this afternoon.
So as I sat down to write this review I found myself having just returned from a run. With that in mind I was looking for something refreshing. No, no imperial stouts today. Sitting near the back of my fridge I found a lone bottle of Sierra Nevada's spring seasonal, Ruthless Rye. A hoppy, crisp, peppery, rye IPA? Ought to be perfect to quench my thirst after a run. To the beer!
Ruthless pours a gorgeous deep coppery red color. Thin streams of effervescent bubbles rise up to meet three fingers of bubbly, rocky white head. That head took quite a while to recede to a thin layer that ultimately left beautiful lacing all the way down the glass.
The aromas on this one are mainly of the peppery rye. This is backed by citrusy hop notes and some caramel maltiness as well.
Ruthless Rye has a lightish yet fairly robust and creamy caramel malt body. At first the rye character is unavoidable. It makes itself known in a big way. Mixing with the hop bitterness for an intense and lingering finish. It also kind of overpowers the more subtle citrusy flavors. As I drank more, however, the rye began to fold itself in a bit more elegantly with the rest of the ingredients. The creaminess of the body becomes more pronounced. The grapefruit/ pineapple hop notes become more evident. Everything falls into a much more balanced presentations.
While I don't think I enjoy this beer as much as Sierra Nevada's flagship Pale Ale it certainly hit the spot tonight. A the spicy addition of rye enhances what would've been a solid, if ultimately unremarkable, IPA. Not the best Rye IPA I've ever had but still definitely worth giving a look.
Also, sorry about the huge tear in the label on this one. This label is a rather large departure from what we're used to seeing on Sierra Nevada's beers. The art almost looks like it was done by Mike McKone. Very cool.
HD
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