Founders Red's Rye PA - Founders Brewing Company

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly hazy beautiful amber hue with a big off white head with an orange tinge. Head is literally crawling at a sluggish pace away. Lots of rye and citric/piney hops on the nose.

Very very crisp carbonation with super bright taste. Semi-sweet cereal flavors up front followed by big rye taste and finishes with a piney and minty hop bitterness. Some caramel sweetness lingers on the sides of the mouth along with a bitterness that lingers but its not overpowering.

Very spicy finish. Body stays pretty consistent but is bigger on the front end, thins out slightly on the finish but not by much.

My favorite rye beer so far but rye beer doesnt seem to be for me, meh.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 04:17:23 | More by jtierney89

eberkman

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very attractive ruby color, a bit hazy, with a thin, bubbly white-tan head. Presented an aroma primarily of hops. Taste was toffee/citrusy sweet with a strong hop finish. For some reason I couldn't detect anything that was uniquely rye, though I don't doubt it's in there. Taste was typical of an IPA. I know this is not strictly labeled as an IPA, but that's what it resembles. Mouthfeel was moderately crisp with a sticky finish. Drinkable enough and I'm glad I tried it. I won't be hunting around for it, but I'd gladly order one if it was on a restaurant beer list.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2007 23:59:03 | More by eberkman

airohead2001

Illinois

3.28/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a light red with a fluffy 2 finger head. No lacing, but excellent head retention.

S - Maltiness and hops blended together very well.

T - Good, but the malts actually overpower this one. Especially after drinking fresh Blind Pig on the same night, Red Rye is certainly lacking the hop profile I was hoping it would have.

M - Good mouthfeel - nice carbonation and not too thick.

D - A drinkable beer, but just not that outstanding in my opinion. This would be a nice session beer, but I wouldn't particularly seek it out when there are so many other good pale ales and IPAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 05:25:16 | More by airohead2001

david18

New York

3.28/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Below is a recent review of the draft version I had of this a little bit ago:

Man do I love this brewery. Just about everything I've had from here I've loved. This was no exception. A really good IPA with all the aspects of rye that you would expect: spiciness, bitter, great! Dark brown color, low carbonation, light colored head, great aroma and the bitterness was very pronounced but not overwhelming.

A very good beer that I'll have again.

---

I had this on cask at George Keeley's on Manhattan's upper west side. I'm not a huge fan of cask versions but I always try them and this was better than most. Surprisingly good carbonation, nice flavor, not too warm. If you see it, get it.

Serving type: cask

08-20-2010 19:01:06 | More by david18

mnj21655

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle.

Pours a cloudy reddish brown with excessive amounts of thick yet pillowy off-white head that exhibits remarkable retention. Aroma is mostly spicy rye with some pleasant piney hops and a bit of fruitinesses. Taste is relatively straight forward, its pretty much just rye and bitterness with some thrown in for good measure in the finish. Mouthfeel is ok, medium body and moderate carbonation. Drinkability isn't all that great. I really didn't find this very enjoyable, it seemed a bit harsh overall.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2008 02:51:36 | More by mnj21655

eatatstokes

3.13/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very drinkable, refreshing, a nice malt/hop balance. I picked this one by accident, but it didn't disappoint me. I don't usually care for this style, but the malty character followed by a nice hoppy aroma leftover in my nose made this beer enough of a happy accident. I wouldn't do it twice.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 07:58:34 | More by eatatstokes

guinness33

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -26.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an awesome looking, somewhat cloudy amber colour with a BIG frothy/chunky tan head that subsides somewhat quickly but leaves globs of residue on the glass. Great looking stuff.

The aroma has a sourness to it, along with a bit of sweetness from caramel and dark berries blended with some bread and hints of dirt. Not bad, but something just seemed a bit...off.

Flavour continues the tart/sweet mixture of fruit and bread flavours from the rye, and also throws some unexpected smokiness into the mix. Strike that: it's not true smokiness, but a cross between that and what I would imagine a burnt piece of wood might taste like. It's not necessarily an out of place flavour, but it's not one hundred percent "right" for the flavour profile either. Didn't love said flavour, but also didn't hate it. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a chewy slickness to it.

I can't put my finger on this beer. Some sips I was of the mindset that it was a well crafted, interesting beer, but on others it seemed like a jumbled mess. Weird. I normally like rye in beers but wasn't completely convinced with this one. It's complex and caught my attention, but didn't make me completely enjoy the experience. Huh.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 03:42:03 | More by guinness33

Cavery

California

3.05/5  rDev -27.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to whoever sent this as an extra, I'm sorry I dug this one out of notes and can't recall who sent it. I apologize!

reviewed from notes taken 7/18/11

A: Large three finger soap sud head with small bubbles conglomerating with medium sized bubbles. A strong look of unset red jello dominates the glass. Stained glass mixtures of reds, oranges, and yellows shimmer in the light.

S: Smells like barley oatmeal. Very malty with a savory germinated greens smell. Hops come through the middle with dominantly medicinal qualities. Straight forward rye beer with a fair amount of medicine hops.

T: Hops with the full range of medicine cabinet flavors. A bizarrely strong acidity that hangs in the back of the throat far too long. An early toffee malt note is sand blasted by dusty hops. There's a rustic flavor character that's intriguing, but it is quickly swallowed by hop medicine. Not so dynamic or pleasant. A let down in the taste.

M: Soft in the mouth with the comfort of a baby blanket. The baby blanket is eventually ripped to shreds by brutally strong aspirin dryness. Bitter medicine lingers, an almost chemical like metallic note proves itself to be an even harsher leader. This beer is rot with mouth-feel strife!

O: This beer was kind of a let down for me. The acidity seems to just come out of nowhere. I have a hard time believing this is the intended state of this beer. However, a strong hop presence really seems like it would dominate the beer in any form. Currently, the hop serves more as a preservative than a flavor ingredient. I'd like to retry this, but I won't get my hopes up, or make it an item I'd trade directly for..

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 00:08:20 | More by Cavery

nova009

Kentucky

3.03/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a tulip

A- pours a deep dark reddish brown, very hazy, a half finger white head appears and dissipates fairly quickly, spotty lacing

S- kinda spicy smelling, piney hops noticeable as well, sweet caramel notes sneak through, im not really picking up on any rye

T- this is a pretty bitter beer, im not picking up on any of the sweet flavor that i smelled, bitter hops, spicy and dry, im actually a fan of rye bread and i am not getting any rye flavor in this, this isn't even enjoyable

M- smooth medium body, decent balance of carbonation, dry finish, not bad but nothing special

D- im having a hard time finishing this one, it tastes like im sucking on bitter hops that have a bit of spice to it, not for me

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2010 02:05:35 | More by nova009

teromous

Virginia

3.03/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: It comes out a very dark, and...well...red amber! Not much head on this thing but it's got a very nice color.

S: It smells hoppy and has a punchy citrus scent. Smells of oranges, tangerine and apricot.

T: It has a hop kick to it, and I don't really pick up the rye. It just tastes like an IPA, albeit a nice one. I get the idea..."rye PA"...but it should probably be in the IPA category instead of rye. I can taste it a tad, but only well after the hop bitterness has faded away after a sip.

M: It has a decent mouthfeel. There's a decent pep to it, and finishes medium-dry.

O: Overall it's an ok IPA but I can get an IPA a dime a dozen that taste like this. I would really like more rye flavor to make it unique.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 20:13:36 | More by teromous

DanThomas

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I love rye beer, but was very disappointed by this one. If I wanted an overhopped IPA I would have ordered one (given the name I suppose I did).

A - Looks very good, at least. Beautiful red color, clear, moderate lacing.

S - Hop crazy, mainly pine and spice, maybe a hint of rye in there somewhere.

T - NO RYE! One of my favorite beers was the Rye Bock from Grumpy Troll, so I wanted to give this a try, but all it is is extremely hopped with a lot of pine, citrus, and mouth drying qualities. Rye in name only.

M - The hops are so much that they practically leave your throat feeling dehydrated--never a good thing.

D - Even if this was just marked as an IPA I'd find the hops too intense for my personal tastes, but if that's your style then you might like it. Just don't expect any rye.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 15:25:47 | More by DanThomas

bishopdc0

Maine

2.95/5  rDev -29.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a wine glass.
A beautiful copper amber color with a thick creamy head. Reminiscent of a Guinness

The aroma is spicy hops and a big malt that creates a slight alcohol finish

The taste is reminiscent of a Scottish style. The hops and the rye create a consistent bitter that lingers on the tongue. The lack of definition in the taste makes me want a different beer as I expected a little hop taste. I will admit that a slight pine hop flavor shows but weak at best

Meh

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 02:56:22 | More by bishopdc0

deg

New Hampshire

2.93/5  rDev -30.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I poured the bottle into a glass. A nice dark red color. Plenty of head to the beer. I did not notice the spiciness that other reviewers mention. For me, the hops dominated, with a slight sourness to it. The hops dominating is what hurt the beer for me. I did not notice the alcohol and the only problem with drinking the beer was due to the hops.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2009 21:53:40 | More by deg

kscaldef

Oregon

2.88/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Ruddy red. Pours with just a small topping of foam, dissipates within a few seconds to just a ring and some large bubbles.

S: Citrus hops, nice sweetness underneath, and a little dank pine on a swirl

T: Dominated by the malts here. Bready, with a heavy note almost like pumpernickel. Not what I usually think of in a rye beer, but it's interesting. Not getting much of the usual rye spiciness. Balanced bitterness in the finish, but not a lot of hops flavor.

M: Medium body, medium-high carbonation. A little heavy in the finish.

O: Seems like a fairly middle of the road beer to me. A bit too malt dominated, and the hops don't seem to compliment it all that well. Among the rest of Founder's offerings, I wouldn't particularly go after this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 01:39:55 | More by kscaldef

Cubsfan1087

Iowa

2.83/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I must be missing something on this beer. It was my first rye beer so maybe that could explain it. I need to give this beer another try at some point. It looked very good, but the taste didn't do much for me. I found it to be much more bitter than I was expecting. I didn't find the smell of this beer to be to appetizing either. I'm way off all the other ratings, so I will need to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 03:10:10 | More by Cubsfan1087

jneiswender

Massachusetts

2.8/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on draft at canary in Jamaica plain. Served in a pint glass. Cool.

A. Off white head and a murky amber body.

S. Sweet candy and floral hop.

T. Nice piney hope front and a nice sweetbgrain finish. Good rye bread flavor.

M. Medium

D. Very hoppy for style. Kind of drowns out the malt.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2011 21:28:47 | More by jneiswender

WhiteOak

Connecticut

2.78/5  rDev -34%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Medium copper color with a thick head which settled quickly.

S - Grapefruit and Fir bud resin hops smells dominate.

T - Citric hops dominate the flavor, pushing all else aside. I was looking forward to rye flavors, but none were apparent.

M - Thick and slighly viscous, oily hoppiness.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 02:14:26 | More by WhiteOak

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.7/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a five-finger light tan head that fades quickly leaving a good lace. Clear red/amber color. Hoppy/malty nose. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Starts hoppy and the hops dominate and leave a lingering bitter aftertaste. Expecting something a little more mellow. $1.75 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits, Acton, Ma.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 22:33:39 | More by jdhilt

schellsbeer

Minnesota

2.7/5  rDev -35.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A big thanks to Redboot for sending a bottle my way. Thanks buddy.

On to the review.

A - Ok. Thicker than I was expecting. A red brown color. Very little head. Was served around 44 degrees so right there on temperature. Huge chunks of yeast and material floating all around the beer even after it was poured very carefully into my glass. Never really settled to the bottom. Just kind of "weird" in my book. Reminded me of fresh maple syrup in color and consistency. Just average.

S - Hops are very present. I was wishing there was more of a Rye presence being picked up but there wasn't. I love Rye....that is why I was a little disappointed. Doesn't smell bad, once again different that I was expecting.

T - Average. Wish there was more of a Rye taste but instead loaded with hops. A milder bitter taste...almost sweet as the ale slides down the throat. Still can't get past the HUGE chunks of "stuff" that won't settle to the bottom. White to yellow mustard in color. Just not what I was again expecting. Nothing to write home about if that is what you are wondering.

M - Thick. Coating. Not Impressed. Covers the entire mouth and won't let go. Have to swallow several times to get everything to go down. Yeah....not so much to my liking. Sorry.

D - Nope. Not impressed. Thick. When I want a thick beer, get me a stout or a porter. Not a clean crisp rye beer. Won't search this one out again....unless I know that it is fresh.

Maybe I should go visit my buddy Karl and we could have one of these at Founders. Would probably taste much different.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2009 03:30:41 | More by schellsbeer

monkbrewed

Michigan

2.61/5  rDev -38%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

As a fan of rye beers and separately IPAs, I wanted to like this, but the beer has a sort of whacky, out-of-balance characteristic. The Michigan hop-head aesthetic is in full bloom here. Bell's Brewery has been setting the pace on these over-blown hop styles. The problem with this Rye PA is that the hops get masked by the rye grain charateristic. Sort of a train-wreck. Malty sweetness isn't evidenced by intent, but the result of this combination is sort of a sharp mush of bitterness. Over many beers this would escalate with growing fatigue on the palate. I've tried this on two occasions- once in the tap room at Founders and once at a bar in Ann Arbor. I did not finish either pint. Exceptionally poor label art too for Founders on this as well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 19:14:40 | More by monkbrewed

Minkybut

Virginia

2.58/5  rDev -38.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I poured this beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was gasoline colored and did have a pretty nice head. The color of the head was a light tan. The beer had a truly hoppy smell to it. And The beer had a truly hoppy taste to it also. It reminded me of eating a cypress tree. I will not buy again

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 23:12:30 | More by Minkybut

charlzm

California

2.5/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Consumed on 03/02/08.

Pours a hazy medium orange/copper. Lots of bubbles rising through the suspended particulate matter of this cloudy beer. A head a finger high was formed quickly, and just as fast dissapated into a thin foamy skin.

Aroma is full of grapefruit and pine aromas. A metallic tang crept in as the glass warmed a bit.

First sip: Maltier than I expected, with a sweet caramel flavor. Some mild wood notes as well. Then a surge of wet cardboard sort of ruins things for a second before the substantial bitter finish with some sweet oranges furtively appearing.

Luckily, the cardboard disappeared after the first sip. Unluckily, so did the malt character, leaving a glass full of bitter hop juice. A hint of rye flavor appeared later, right before I poured this stuff down the drain.

Ack!

Mildly tingly on the tongue and a little chewy.

Sorry, but to me, this was a drain pour and was dealt with accordingly. Bitter wood isn't the way I like a beer to taste.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2008 21:05:42 | More by charlzm

blackearth

Minnesota

2.5/5  rDev -40.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

First of all, I don't know if Founders decided to change the recipe of Red's Rye beer into Red's Rye P.A., or if it is just a name change. But I searched for Red's Rye P.A. and didn't find it, so I'm adding it now. The label reads, "Hopped-up Ale brewed with Rye."

Poured a dark-reddish amber with an off white head. I couldn't smell any aroma when I tried this beer. Medium bodied, caramel malt flavor and no distinguishable hop aftertaste, not good for something that is supposed to have an IPA characteristic. It was not balanced, malts dominated and there was a strong alcohol taste. Overall this one missed the mark.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2009 21:41:04 | More by blackearth

bboven

Texas

1.98/5  rDev -53%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

Orange-copper hazy body with a half-finger of head that stays.

Rye spice initially, a lot of fruit and hot alcohol after that.

Huge amount of oxidation overwhelms everything here. There are rye notes and some hop bitterness at the end, but all in all, very hard to swallow.

Moderate carbonation and pretty drying.

This tastes like someone's third batch of homebrew. I've heard a lot of great things about Founders and being a MI native I was very excited to see it in NC. I really hope this was just a bad batch, but it makes me wary of blowing another $10 on their beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2009 22:13:32 | More by bboven

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

1.45/5  rDev -65.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer pours a clear copper with no head or lace. The aroma is mainly grapefruit with caramel in the background. The flavor is pure hop bitterness which completely overpowers the palate. It's mouthfeel is light-medium and leaves a strong, bitter aftertaste. Founders Reds Rye PA is a disappointing, one-dimensional beer. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 03:19:33 | More by B967ierhunter177