Rye'd Piper - Ale Industries

kaseydad

California

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler tonight and anxious to try after passing over it numerous times. Poured into my Duvel glass and I am met with a dirty brown colored ale and a beige foamy head that stays awhile. Light lacing. The aroma definitely has the rye whiffs and also some chocolate, roasted malts, wood and slight leather. Nice. The taste is very rye with caramel hints and a nice hop kick to it with a slight spicy swallow. A lot of rye aftertaste with some salivating buds wanting more. Mouthfeel was a tad thin but it's a minor flaw. Overall I was impressed by this beer. If you are a rye fan this will be right up your alley. A nice beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: growler

12-10-2011 01:41:39 | More by kaseydad

lacqueredmouse

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

650ml bomber purchased from BevMo in Sunnyvale, CA.

Pours a murky reddish-brown colour, with a thin filmy head of yellowed off-white. Lacing forms in grid-like patterns, quite intricate. Body is light, but holds quite fine carbonation. Overall, it looks pretty good.

Nose is heavy with rye. Big sweet-spicy, slightly grassy grainy tone runs this quite strongly, with a slightly sweaty green fruit character providing the only counterpoint. It really smells quite malty, but the rye malt seems to be dominant, which gives it that spicy, grainy, bready note. It's certainly different, and certainly interesting. That's worth a lot.

Taste suffers as a result of the heavy rye load, however, with a significant lightness leaving most of the palate feeling rather empty. The malt is nowhere to be seen, just that reedy rye spice that hides behind the hops and doesn't provide much balance. As a result, the hops (which are much more noticeable on the palate than on the nose) dominate here, leaving a thin, sharp bitterness racing through the centre towards the back. Even though it's not a particularly hoppy beer, it feels much more so than it is, due to the lack of balance. It's a bit disappointing.

Feel is actually not as bad as the taste might suggest, it has a crispness which is quite pleasant, and it works with the lighter flavours in the body. However, a fuller feel and more breadth in the body would be a better combination overall, I feel.

Overall, it's actually pretty interesting, even though it doesn't work as well as it might have. The rye is certainly noticeable on this beer, which makes it a novelty, but it lacks the balance and craft of a truly great beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2013 22:22:25 | More by lacqueredmouse

elNopalero

Texas

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 2.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This pours a cloudy, nay, murky coffee brown color with tight cocoa tinted foam. Visually the beer is not appealing, something I don’t often get to say.

The aroma has a candied cherry & lightly piney aroma. It’s an understated smell, with a subdued rye character and something akin to a harsh vermouth note on it.

Piney resiny flavor dominates. It has an upfront bitterness and a pleasing rye kick. While it didn’t blow my mind I enjoyed the pint in good company.

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2013 07:04:20 | More by elNopalero

busternuggz

Arizona

3.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Center poured from a 22 oz bottle into an etched pint glass. No freshness date.

A nice deep amber color with a thick, creamy 1/2" head. Leaves thick clingy lacing. Good retention.

Smells of pine and dark bread, a little dry toffee. Nice but a little faint.

More pine and dry toffee lead on the taste, a touch of baking chocolate, nice rye spiciness, a little pepper. Ends with some roastiness and grapefruit zest. A little more rye and citrus comes out as it warms, less pepper, along with more hop bitterness. Comes on with just a little caramelly sweetness and ends clean and dry. Quite bitter/hoppy overall, but with some nice malty flavors.

The texture comes on creamy and full, ends light and crisp. A bit too light maybe. Gets a little softer on the finish as it warms.

Nice complexity and a great appearance. Love the rye notes too. It's a bit too hoppy for the style to me, could use a touch more malt, but it's well made and interesting. Would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:49:33 | More by busternuggz

seagullbeer

California

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Peachy brown with a head that had a nice look but fell quickly

S- Coppery banana bread

T- Strong rye, very straightforward bitter rye flavor compared with other ryes ive tried. Some malty goodness in there too.

M- Soft, doesn't stick around too long but leaves feeling clean and with a nice bitter pucker

O- Not the best rye i've had, much more straightforward and less balanced than others. Cool label if that counts for anything.

I'd recommend giving it a try. It definitely was much more what I expected ryes to taste like. Seems to be a lot of new ryes popping up in the bay area. If you like this definitely try to find speakeasy's scarlet and bear republics hop rod.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:27:31 | More by seagullbeer

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a just barely clear ruby-orange with a finger of frothy khaki head. The head fades down at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts, spicy rye, some bready malts, grapefruit and citrus hops, and a touch of pine hops.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramel malts with some grapefruit and citrus hops and mild bitterness. Through the middle, the spicy rye comes through with some bready malts, and a bit of pine hops and more bitterness. The finish is a mix of spicy rye and caramel malts with grapefruit hops and some bready malts.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a spicy, dry, and lightly bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice rye beer with some good earthy and spicy rye flavor and great overall balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 06:30:25 | More by ngeunit1

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Been wanting to try something from AI for some time now. This is a good one to start on, I say.

Blast of hops all up in your mouth in a hearty, rye kind of way. It's not an obliteration, but quite a full ride. Mild burn from the rye's spices. Fairly thick body. This is a nice ale. Hearty and robust. If you like rye beers, you'll enjoy this one I'm sure...if you can find it. Heh.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 23:17:45 | More by RblWthACoz

OBeerMeGreatOne

California

4.13/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours more brown than red. Hard to think of this as an amber. Nice inch of head and decent lace though.

Banana, rye and citrus make up the smell.

Wow, this is an easy to drink rye beer. The rye spice is nicely balanced by some smooth citrus and pine hops. Mmmm. Simple, but very satisfying.

I'm grabbing some more. At 5.8% this is a ridiculously sessionable brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 03:20:06 | More by OBeerMeGreatOne

AgentMunky

California

3.33/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a brandy snifter.

A: Incredibly dark. Opaque. Light white head fades quickly.

S: Cheesy and citrusy. Smells like a English cask ale.

T: Decent, but not great. Smoothish, with some citrus and that same strange cheesiness. Lightly dry aftertaste, but bland maintaste.

O: Drinkable, pleasant beer. Still, wouldn't have again. Unrecommended.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 06:32:53 | More by AgentMunky

natemort13

California

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer pours a nearly opaque amber with khaki head that sticks around as a nice cap. Decent lacing.

Nice caramelly bready notes. As it warms some nice piny hops come out.

Taste follows the nose with some dry rye notes lots of caramel, lots of bready malts. finish is rye and dry.

Mouthfeel is medium light with medium high carbonation. Very soft on the palate.

Overall, nice incorporation of the rye with a solid amber beer. Very drinkable, i'm a fan.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2012 03:20:11 | More by natemort13

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.85/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this from Bbothen as pay off from a Fantasy Football BIF!

Pours amber/caramel with 3+ fingers tan head. Insane lacing & head retention

S: Faint bready scents

T: Peppery spice, herbal & tea hoppyness, along with some biscuitty malt up front, plus nice piney notes. As this warms I pick up orange peel, then woody hop notes. again much bitter tea notes. Finishes crisp, semi-dry with more woody hops, a touch of caramel & pear fruittyness comes through as well

MF: Medium bodied, firm carbonation, crisp, nice balance

A flavor pack amber that delivers rye crispness & plenty of hops complexity

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 03:45:14 | More by russpowell

jeffjeff1

California

3.58/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this on tap at Pete's Brass Rail and Car Wash in Danville.

Appearance- dark brown color, thin head

Smell- rye

Taste- rye, hops

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- I thought it was very good. I would like to have it again sometime. They have done well with this one.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2012 01:30:50 | More by jeffjeff1

Reidrover

Oregon

3.8/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bomber from "Lifesource", Salem Oregon. $4.95 Dark chesnut brown with a really impressive thick,creamy light tan head. Mostly hoppy/fruity type aromas..floral and slightly resinous. touch of rye but it isnt great Hmm a strange one mostly malty coffee type bitterness.. resiny hops..and again a spcy rye backing..but again its very slight. Quite nice mouthfeel to this one..very smooth and rich. A very nice beer but i feel cheated at the lack of the rye aspect Id be willing to consign this to the CDA category

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 03:23:56 | More by Reidrover

Elimination

Oregon

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours this deep mahogany red, just gushing with such a hue of crimson, sexy looking beer

Smells of woody, carmel, sweet, a bit of oaky, nutty, with almost a marzen candied butterscotch, but its so faint, barely picking it up

Taste is much like smell, but so minuscule, it disappears immediately, you want it to be there, but it fades away, Rye bready is there a bit more than smell, but doesnt stick

Strong carb, washies away the taste so fast I cant enjoy

Its not bad, it really isnt, just wish some things could be tweaked

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 04:38:29 | More by Elimination

Seanibus

California

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasty - darker and more malty than most rye-based beers I have tried, but the combo works.

Pours a deep chocolatey brown with a fluffy head. The aroma is malty, with wood, coffee, chicory and carob. A healthy dollop of burned brown sugar. The flavor follows along, with dark caramel and cigarette ash, but behind it there is a bitter rye sting on the finish, a sharp, black pumpernickel character, with a slight sweetness on the end.

Tasty

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 01:04:18 | More by Seanibus

GRG1313

California

4.35/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep dark clear cranberry with a short but firm off white head. Nice looking.

Nose is big fruit esters of sweet pears, peaches and plums; pleasant and inviting. (Served cool room temperature which just shows the nose and flavors perfectly when tasting).

Medium/full mouthfeel that is medium rich and medium creamy with light elegant carbonation.

Flavors just dominate this one. Big assertive roasted grain and full hop bitter flavor. Really nice balance of the big hops and the big malt. A hint of sweet wooded coffee on the very front palate gives way to a big roasted red ale. Big yeast/malt and bitter roast. Rye flavors come through on mid palate and come through very big on the finish.

Finish is all bitter rye bread and tones of burnt coffee. Develops more of a carmel malt character as it warms but retains complexity, body and character.

This is a really nice beer that I came across by surprise at City Beer. Nice job. This is a good one for big rich meals and grilled meats. It just cries out to be consumed with a meal. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 00:04:44 | More by GRG1313

BrewerB

California

3.05/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up at Ales Unlimited.

Pours a mostly clear, reddish-amber with a massive, slightly dimpled light tan head. Retention is superb and is testing my patience while I await for the foam to settle enough for me to take sip.

Initial aromas of caramel and cracked pepper with brown sugar cookie undertones and subtle chocolate. Soap.

Spicy/herbal flavors hit the palette first and are swiftly followed with a sharp hop bitterness. Moderately-high bitter and this lingers long into the medium-dry finish.

Feels thin and watery on the tongue with a low level of carbonation. Hop bitterness is somewhat harsh/astringent.

Overall the nose might be the best aspect of this brew. Bitterness is harsh and detracts from drinkability, mouthfeel is unsatisfying, and the flavors aren't interesting and complex enough to yield repeated enjoyment.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 03:13:05 | More by BrewerB

vitALEity

California

4.38/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was way more impressed with this beer then I thought I would be. Pours a nice dark red color with a full inch head, nice lacing and is carbonated perfectly. Aroma is rye and a little caramel and some chocolate. Medium bodied, smooth and creamy with a nice rye malt bitterness and hop bite. I really enjoy a good rye ale and this one is right up there with hop rod IMO. Good job ale industries!

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 23:25:06 | More by vitALEity

mactrail

California

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Nice head but a little coarse in the carbonation. Amber brown in the wine glass. Quite hoppy but really rye'd up with the harsh cereal taste. A slight warmth of malt. A hint of something scorched. Long bitter aftertaste. Light body. Not much in the nose. Maybe it needs to be really cold with a hot pretzel.

Bottle (22 oz) from Beer Revolution in Oakland.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 05:30:11 | More by mactrail

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Rye'd Piper has a reddish brown colored body with a slight haze throughout. The head is short and white, and it doesn't have much going in the carbonation and lacing departments.

The aroma has a ton of spicy rice, citrus from the hops and a bit of caramel.

The name leaves little doubt that this one is going to have some rye in it, so that isn't much of surprise. I was a little bit surprised by just how much rye it actually does haze. Rye is the strongest flavor, followed by a punch of citrus from the hops. The rye is spicy, seedy, and bready while the hops are a mix of grapefruit and blood-orange. The finish has a caramel backbone, so this one isn't all rye.

Mouthfeel could use a little bit more carbonation, but is OK overall.

Heavy on the rye, liberally hopped, worth a shot if you like rye beers.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2011 23:29:24 | More by Hojaminbag

jdense

Oregon

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Pete's Brass Rail and Car Wash, Danville, CA, 8.14.2010.

Less than half a finger of white head, no dissipation or lacing to speak of due to full to the rim of glass pour. Dark brown/amber body, no visible carbonation due to opaqueness. Big rye hit in the nose, balanced with floral hops and a bit of grassiness. Taste mirrors the nose, this is a real rye beer. Mouthfeel is medium/full with good effervescence. Drinkability is pretty good though the big dose of rye is fairly unique. IMO more of a schwartzbier with rye. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2010 13:40:21 | More by jdense

popery

California

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The tap list called this one a red, but I could see it going as a Rye Beer or an American IPA.

Draft, City Beer Store. This beer is all about rye and hops. It has a ton of rye spice and a ton of pine/citric hop flavor. There's some good caramel sweetness to back it all up, but this is a rye-hop bomb. It drinks a lot bigger than expected. The mouthfeel is quite thick for the abv. They really packed a lot of flavor into this package. There's also brown sugar, molasses, caramel and toast from the malt. It pours a murky auburn color without much head. Not too much carbonation. Good beer and not at all what I expected.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2010 04:59:33 | More by popery