Harpoon Rich & Dan's Rye IPA - Harpoon Brewery

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap at Summits January 8, 2013. Reviewed from notes.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy white head over a dense orange amber body. Light creamy lacing. Mild haziness. Nice solid appearance. 4

(Smell) Fruity and citrusy aroma with a decent clean but deep malt aroma lingering in the background. Rye doesn't add much to the flavor but does brush up the body a bit. Moderate bitterness and medium hop aroma make for a balanced but clean-smelling IPA. Potency is medium. 3.5

(Taste) Clean, citrusy flavor and mild hop bitterness. Mild bready rye malt character. Mild fruitiness. Pleasant. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) Mild crispness with a medium-bitter finish. Medium body for the style, light/medium body overall. 3.75

(Overall) Although not as heavy on the rye as most rye IPAs, it's a nicely balanced IPA with a lot of substance and body to it. Quite drinkable. 3.75

Harpoon Brewery's
Harpoon Rich & Dan's Rye IPA
3.6/5.00

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2013 16:56:26 | More by Jadjunk

plaid75

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at Tap and Barrel, Hauppague, NY.

Poured a medium brass hue with a two finger frothy white head. There was good retention and very good sticky lacing.

The smell featured a piney hop muffled by a super soft malt combo.

The taste consisted of a full piney hop atop a rich soft malt. Rye spice noted as well.

The mouthfeel was toward the creamier side of the style.

Overall a tasty full bodied IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

11-28-2012 00:05:43 | More by plaid75

mikeg67

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at The Office. Pours orange with a long lasting, white head. Aroma is of orange fruit, citrusy hops and biscuit malt. Body is medium and tangy. Taste is similar to aroma with citrusy hops dominating biscuit malt, orange fruit and rye spiciness. Long grapefruity finish. Fresh on tap, very nice IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2012 21:22:21 | More by mikeg67

Burlyn

3.8/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

ap- amber with a billowing head

sm- grassy hops with a little spice from the rye

taste- at first i taste just the spicy cloves from the rye, but this subdues into the hop's resin and bitterness

m - smooth and very dry. A great palate cleanser

o - this is very light and very tasty. The more I have it the more I want to drink. The cycle continues.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2012 22:58:52 | More by Burlyn

neophilus

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A coppery orange glow permeates the glass, almost dark brown in the middle. Decent head floats on top.

Smells of hop resins leaning towards floral with a little bit of citrus thrown in. A little bit of malt on the nose with a spicy edge from the rye.

Hop bite up front on the palage, mixed with the rye spicyness leads to a sharp edge to the beer. Undearneath are rich flavors of citrus hop resins. Hop flavor is muted a bit, definitely stronger on the bitterness than the flavor but you still get a mouth full of resiny hops.

Finishes with a bit of a spicy bite but clean, with a deeper malt profile than I expecting. Dry and a little rough on the palate from the rye.

Definitely more interesting than their normal IPA, with a deeper range of flavors and more hop aroma and flavor. Still needs a boost in the hop flavor department. The rye keeps things interesting but almost drags the beer down with its rough, spicy flavors. Enjoyed one or two, but wasn't sure I was ready for a third because of the rye.

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2012 19:34:29 | More by neophilus

merc7186

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured on tap at Ulrichs Tavern in Buffalo NY, poured into a pint glass.

A: Amber Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Outstanding Lacing

S: Rye, Semi Sweet Malts, Mild Resin

T: Rye, Resin, Semi Sweet Malts

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Sweet, Semi Dry

Overall, pretty nice Rye IPA and somewhat surprising from Harpoon.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 19:25:45 | More by merc7186

rangerred

Tennessee

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap in a pint glass.

Arrived with a thick, creamy two finger head and a slightly hazy light brown body.

Aroma of piny hops with a little bit of caramel. Some rye spiciness was present as well.

Floral and piny hops were up front in the taste along with some yeast. Spiciness was not as predominant as I was expecting. A little bit of pipe tobacco on the finish with a moderate to high bitterness. Mouthfeel was full and creamy.

Being that I tend to love rye beers I was a little let down. Way too much yeast and not enough rye characteristics. Just an ok beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2012 15:46:55 | More by rangerred

2xHops

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I was disappointed.

The beer looked good with light amber color to the body. There were a lot of lacing, and the head dissipated too fast.

The taste is bland. There wasn't a strong presence of the rye. I thought it was a bit underwhelming for something that can pack a punch. It was not as hoppy as I thought it would be.

Overall, I thought it was a so-so beer. I think I can come up with few better examples of this beer style, so that's the thing that killed this beer for me.

It's not a terrible beer, but it's not something that will make you say, "Hey, this is a damn good beer."

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2011 21:57:41 | More by 2xHops

jjayjaye

New York

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Moxie's. Poured a slightly hazy copper stained amber. Visibly effervescent with a deep frothy collar with decent hang time and impressive Belgian lacing. The smell is aggressive and complex; fruity citrus and grassy hop blend. Really added a lot to my overall impression. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, has a hoppy tang and is nicely carbonated. There is an enjoyable resin aftertaste that lingers appropriately. The flavor mirrored the nose and had the grainy rye character that i've come to expect from rye beers. Overall a very fine drinker. I'd recommended it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2011 17:40:11 | More by jjayjaye

CHickman

New York

4.03/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Taproom 307 in NYC; pours a hazy gold color with a foamy 1 finger white head full of bubbles in it that fades very, very slowly, leaving great foamy lacing clinging to the glass and rings as it went down; a very good looking beer.

Smells of floral hops, herbs, sweet malt, rye, piney hops, citrus hops, orange peel, caramel and grains; pretty sweet nose overall, with a hoppy pale ale aroma with a combo of light rye.

Tastes of floral hops, herbs, sweet malt, rye, piney hops, citrus hops, orange peel, grapefruit, caramel, pepper, grass, hay, pine cone/piney hops, light spices and light toasted grains; the rye lingers after the hops subside and leave a nice oily hop resin and slight bitterness. Hops are light for an IPA, but this beer works the hop and rye combo well.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp, with high carbonation, a light body and dry slightly bitter finish.

This beer was refreshing and very tasty, I would definitely have it again as it went down easy and completely hid the alcohol. Quite enjoyable and a beer that I recommend trying.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2011 03:52:51 | More by CHickman

Boto

Connecticut

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Draught: This one poured a darker golden color with a bit of an amber hue. There was a good sized off-white head on it, that left a good deal of lacing. Grapefruit nose with a bit of pine. Some rye also. The taste is good. This one is fairly bitter, with grapefruit and pine hop tastes most prevalent. Some rye taste coming through also. Not a bad beer!

Serving type: on-tap

08-09-2011 18:35:15 | More by Boto

mdaschaf

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had on tap at the Pickled Pig Pub on IPA day.

A: Served in a pint glass, the beer was a clear copper/amber color with a one finger white head that faded rather quickly leaving only little bits of lacing.

S: Light citrus and grassy with some caramelized malt and a hint of rye malt, but not as pronounced as I was hoping.

T: The first flavor is nice and hoppy with some grapefruit and orange peel. This is followed by some rye malt and a bit of caramel and bready malt. The finish is unfortunately accentuated by a metallic/oxidized flavor.

M: Medium bodied with medium carbonation, slightly dry, but metallic finish.

O: It was ok before the oxidized flavor hit, but even without it, I probably wouldn't go for it again. Thought that the rye was a bit weak as well.

Serving type: on-tap

08-05-2011 20:15:23 | More by mdaschaf

morebeergood

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Third beer on Sat night at Penguin Pizza. Served in a standard pint glass. Dark orange colored body. Nice sized white head. Smell was hoppy and peppery. Flavor really packed the hop punch, as it had a plethora of IPA hop flavor bursting at the seams. The addition of the rye had positive and negative effects. I liked the rye for the flavor, as it lent a spicy and smoky flavor to the taste. What I didn't like was the effect on the mouthfeel. It made this beer way too dry on the palate. Would have been a struggle to enjoy a few of these. I liked a pint of this beer, but I would not make a night of drinking this brew. Not smooth enough and too high in abv.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2011 03:04:38 | More by morebeergood

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Brassy copper color with a large tan head. A few wisps of retention before all the foam died in the hot summer sun.

Bubblegum hops are at first obvious but then fades into a staic toasty aroma. Mildly spicy, very brassy.

Rye spice with hops spice make this a pleasantly spicy beer. Bubble gum is there but then fades early just like it did in the aroma.

Between the Imperial Rye and the 100 Barrel Rye there's a lot of rye floating around at Harpoon. They must have gotten a good deal.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2011 12:51:07 | More by donkeyrunner

AgentZero

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Burnt umber color with a small white head and a little bit of lacing.

S - Mild crystalized rye, some grapefruit, little grass.

T - Taste leaves some to be desired. Mild hops, just a little bit of rye spice, but it all seems entirely washed out. A little bitterness on the end, pale malt backbone.

M - Mouthfeel is a little thin and watery, slightly gritty, active carbonation.

O - Not a huge fan of this, it went down easily enough, but that was more for lack of taste than anything else.

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 14:59:12 | More by AgentZero

DrinkingDrake

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass a Copper/red with a minimal amount of off white head. The aroma has a lot of the rye but also an equal amount of tropical fruity hops. A earthy/hay aroma is subtle after jostling the glass a couple times. Starts off lightly toasted malt with a hint of fruity hops on top but finishes off with a tangy rye bitterness. Medium body with a smooth transition of malty, fruity and bitter.

Serving type: on-tap

07-03-2011 15:34:39 | More by DrinkingDrake

david18

New York

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had a number of drafts of this beer recently at the Amsterdam Ale Hose on Manhattan's upper west side. The rye definitely adds a nice spiciness to an otherwise very good IPA. Overall, a winner.

Color is typical of an ipa with a lot of haziness and good, persistent carbonation.

Aroma is both citrusy as well as spicy, a great combination of the hops and rye.

Flavor as well combines the all of the elements very well to a great, balance beer that's a lot more interesting than the standard ipa and/or many other rye beers I've tried.

Serving type: on-tap

06-23-2011 20:33:02 | More by david18

metter98

New York

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is crystal clear yellowish amber in color and has no signs of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin film of bubbles covering the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of spicy rye malts along with some notes of citrus and pine resin hops.
T: The taste is both malty and spicy; the spiciness from the rye particularly stands out in the finish while the initial taste has some hints of malty sweetness. There is a mild to light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some dryness towards the finish.
O: The beer isn’t that difficult to drink for the style because the spiciness from the rye is not overpowering.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2011 12:08:07 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap 6/7/2011 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color with a short dense white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains fruity citrus, caramelized rye malts and grassy hops.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of citrus followed by a strong but not over-powering hops bitterness. The rye malt character is hearty and there’s some spice faintly in the background creating a pretty good balance. The after-taste is slightly bitter.

M: Smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Very tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good representation of style, this is a very nice beer worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 16:08:34 | More by TheManiacalOne

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Rustico in Alexandria. Served in a tulip.

Pours a moderate golden color that is mostly clear. Good white head and a nice bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a good portion of rye along with some floral and spicy hops. The flavor carries the same with the rye really taking a step forward and bringing a bit of spice. Mostly floral hops with a bit of an earthy feel as well. All is very well integrated into a medium-bodied brew with a nicely-bitter finish. Some alcohol detected afterward. This was a thoroughly enjoyable brew.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 00:06:18 | More by Thorpe429

utopiajane

New York

3.58/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Hazy copper color with a huge head that fell pretty slowly and left good lacing. I don’t know what I expected in the "rye" part but the IPA part is solid. Nose is pretty good with plenty of malt character to lead you in, a touch of caramel and a solid rye. Taste is rye and spicy/sour with a little citrus, pine and grass. It’s a medium body malt and is well carbonated. It’s crisp and it’s not what you expect from hop flavor because it’s not hop flavor. It’s rye. Get it? It’s wry! It has a palate of it’s own and would be great with sandwiches. This was originally from the 100 barrel series but I had it from a 6 pack.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 12:35:13 | More by utopiajane

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured into becker pint glass. Slightly cloudy copper with a medium-thick white head that fades fast into a nice layer of foam that leaves nice lacing on the glass. Smells of spicy malts and some hops. Taste is just like you'd expect; spicy rye malt and bitter hops in taste and both through to the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is clean and a bit dry.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 02:16:04 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

Guden

Maryland

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Slightly hazy copper in color with a big egg shell head that fades slowly leaving impressive lace.

S- Big nose of American hops, lots of pine and fruit, with some spicy and sweet breadiness.

T- Smooth and light up front, with a strange pit fruit character that is quickly whisked away by a refreshingly bitter and fairly smooth bitterness.

M- Thin and dry with medium low carbonation, this one goes down pretty easily.

O- An enjoyable IPA thought I don't get a huge amount of rye, just enough to poke around the hops. This beer could also use a little more hop flavor up front rather than just the finishing bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 22:58:31 | More by Guden

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Thanks go to Slatetank for gifting me with a couple bottles of these 'poon IPA varieties. 12oz bottle poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass, the brew appears a clear copper color with a yellowish to lightly tanned cap more than 2 fingers strong that fades leaving almost a full wall of lacing effect on the glass. A light swirl revives a finger back to the surface.

The aroma has some pleasant maltiness caught between caramel and toffee with a distinct fruity aspect of rye. Not really spicy perse but different with that sort of toasted quality that only rye can produce. There is an accenting fruity aspect coming forward from the combination of alcohol and hops. A bit of almost orange marmalade scent is present initially that blends into some melon, honeydew or cantaloupe hop notes.

The flavor is more hop centric than what the aroma would lead you to believe. A rindy, pulpy bitterness hits the tongue first with a flavor of zest and almost catty quality that fades into a strong taste of grapefruit and melon like the aroma suggested. The alcohol is present with it's own fruited aspect and the maltiness pokes through from time to time with a toasted flavoring but little contrasting sweetness.

This is a medium bodied brew with a moderate amount of carbonation. It is a pretty nice IPA with the rye being very noticeable. There was just something about the strange melon notes and strangely strong focus on alcohol for being under 7% that hindered the overall drink-ability for me on this one. Regardless, no issues finishing the glass and I am very appreciative of the chance to give this one a try. Thanks again Matt.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 01:28:12 | More by stakem

JayQue

Virginia

3.41/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Not bad, but a bit lacking as either an IPA or Rye beer. Looks good. Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Looks good, slightly hazy amber with a good size frothy white head (off a hard pour). Good lacing and head retention.

Mild aroma, a little piney hops.

Taste is a bit better than average. Sharp piney hops and a bit of rye sourness but there is a sour apple vinegar presence too that is not that good.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin but there is a crisp bitterness. Richness improves a bit the more you drink.

Overall not bad but I have had much better Rye beers and IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:56:01 | More by JayQue