Yakima Rye IPA - New Albanian Brewing Company - Pizzeria and Public House

RickS95

Indiana

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

As others have mentioned, the pour is something else. I opened the bottle about 15 minutes ago and still haven't tasted it. I've been cleaning my snifter, the bottle, and yes, the floor. My snifter is something like 18 ounces. Maybe two ounces of beer and the head won't stay in the snifter. It lasts forever. Not that you can see it, but the beer is a golden orange and kind of hazy. The head is forever huge, lots of different-sized white bubbles and simply looks like a cloud exploded in the glass.

I'm not sure it's even worth it to grade the smell because the glass is full but only the first third of it is beer and it's trapped under three inches of foam. Regardless, you can pick up the Cascade and Centennial hops and the nice citric notes they provide. Somewhere along the way is a nice honey smell that works well with the citrus.

There's some cracker-like notes, a bit yeasty. The hops dominate with an earthy, musty taste but ultimately, there's not much in the way of taste happening here. I wouldn't be able to tell you it was a RyePA had the label on the beer not suggested it. Slightly disappointing.

The feel is full on IPA, but with 130 IBUs listed on the bottle, I expected more aggression from the hops. The malt and yeast do a great job of balancing the bitter, but that's not what I was looking for in something like this. Early on it's got a bready feel to it and then mid-sip the hops take over. Sure, it's bitter, but I can still feel my tongue so something's missing. Medium bodied with a mostly oil finish.

It's an ok beer, but certainly not great. Cut back on the carbonation so it doesn't take a half hour to drink and give it some real rye taste. While it's certainly bitter, put on some big boy pants and make it a hop bomb. It's like a beer that doesn't know what kind it wants to be.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 04:26:29 | More by RickS95

SimcoeJoe

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

03-22-2013 23:59:55 | More by SimcoeJoe

MordorMongo

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

01-14-2013 14:06:53 | More by MordorMongo

Chaney

District of Columbia

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

Picked this one up at Varsity Liquors in Evansville while in town visiting family in Henderson during Christmas vacation 2012.

Served in an Elysian tulip.

A: Poured a very, very cloudy, dark orange color, with a nice 1/2 finger head that stain the glass with webbing all the way down.

S: Lots of malty citrus (oxymoron?), fairly rich in potency, but still rather nice. Smells fresh.

T: I liked this a lot. Sure it had a huge malt backbone, but that starts to separate at the end, leaving a big citrus attack from the mid to late palate. The rye was especially strong here, especially once I swallowed the liquid and all that was left was sugary film. Nice.

M: Not too bitter, but still enough there to please the hophead in most of us. The bitterness and rye funk started to heat up the most gulps I took, which was fine by me. The carbonation was perfect for the style and lacing was ridiculous.

O: I really dug this and think it deserves more respect here. To be honest, I don't remember how much I paid for this but I don't think it was too obscene. I'm only stating that because NA has a reputation for charging an arm and a leg. Just sayin...

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 04:04:26 | More by Chaney

Tittles

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

01-05-2013 02:41:24 | More by Tittles

dlin0sbb

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

12-29-2012 22:04:46 | More by dlin0sbb

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

12-24-2012 22:09:30 | More by mothman

weonfire

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +5.3%

11-26-2012 23:39:10 | More by weonfire

Raven3464

Japan

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Holy carbonation, Batman! The beer pours a two-finger body and an eight-finger head. Seriously, the body is a beautiful hazy-straw color but the excessive carbonation almost ruins it. It ends up looking more like an ice cream soda float than a beer. Retention is decent as well.

Smell: Citrus (mainly grapefruit) and an earthy hop aroma dominate the nose. The rye becomes more noticeable as the carbonation dies down and the beer warms.

Taste: Much like the nose, citrus notes are followed quickly by a massive hop punch. A hint of rye lingers on the tongue together with the hop bitterness. To be honest, the rye flavor could stand to be a bit more aggressive. Malts take a back seat in this beer but they are slightly noticeable. While the 130 IBU count seems exaggerated, it is still bitter enough that hop heads will love the experience.

Mouth feel: It is medium bodied. The excessive carbonation refreshingly compliments the dry aftertaste but it still seems a bit excessive.

Overall: Being a hop head, I enjoyed this beer. It is certainly not the most complex IPA but the overabundance of hops and the rye hint make for an interesting change of pace. I would gladly have it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 13:44:56 | More by Raven3464

JackStraw

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

10-31-2012 23:08:58 | More by JackStraw

brentk56

North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Like the others who have reviewed this beer, my bottle was a gusher, and poured with a massive head that refused to fade; the liquid was a hazy honey color when it appeared

Smell: A bit soapy, but there is a nice leafy character as well; graham cracker malt dominates

Taste: Graham cracker malt forward, with a building leafy bitterness that complements the malts in the middle; the hops have a balance between earthy and citrusy, but still very bitter; some of the spicy rye character arrives, after the swallow, allowing the finish to be rather dry

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate to high carbonation

Overall: I sat on this beer for about six months and, based on other comments, that gave the hops time to achieve a nice balance with the malts; definitely helps the beer out as I rather enjoyed it

Thanks, duels, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 23:12:33 | More by brentk56

ZombiesAteMyDog

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%

08-07-2012 16:36:06 | More by ZombiesAteMyDog

cwd

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +5.3%

06-16-2012 17:07:50 | More by cwd

getbehindthemule

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

05-28-2012 11:14:53 | More by getbehindthemule

Zaphog

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

05-27-2012 18:57:35 | More by Zaphog

FreshZ

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

05-07-2012 13:01:50 | More by FreshZ

4Socialanxiety

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +5.3%

04-27-2012 22:44:42 | More by 4Socialanxiety

jtd335

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

04-03-2012 18:50:50 | More by jtd335

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another one thanks to erric.

Pours with a ridiculous carbonation, 4+ fingers head with about 2 fingers of beer, the head rises fizzy, fluffy, and pillowy, at starts to fade at a med pace but that's not nearly quick enough, with a hazy honey orange colored beer underneath.

Nose... 10 minutes after the head fades... some light hops, a light resin and citrus, hint floral, some spicy rye in the background with a hint of fruity aroma as well, and a light sweet malt, and some bittering hops.

Taste starts with some sweet malts, a malty pale malt flavor, as well as a bit of a caramel reddish toasty malt, and some fruity rye with just a hint of the spiciness from the rye. A bready malt melts into the hops, which come with a decent bitterness. Light floral hops as well as a bit of citrus and hint of resin, all come through but mostly is the spicy hops. A bit of a yeasty flavor also comes out. The finish dries a bit, with a decent bitter kick, the yeasty flavor comes through on the initial finish, before the bitter spicy hops and some rye all linger for a while, and starts to become a bit astringent.

Mouth is med to a bit fuller bodied, tons of carbonation, way over carbonated, slightest hint of booze.

Overall not bad way over carbonated, and the yeast doesn't add a nice touch, the hops are not quite complimentary to the rye and malts, a bit thick and syrupy, not quite drinkable, a decent beer to try once, but not sure if I would get this again if I had the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2012 18:56:26 | More by jlindros

MSandahl23

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%

03-29-2012 01:05:07 | More by MSandahl23

forummember

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%

02-15-2012 12:50:08 | More by forummember

LJWalker

Alabama

3/5  rDev -21.1%

02-07-2012 03:37:28 | More by LJWalker

MeisterSmudge

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5.3%

01-16-2012 10:25:55 | More by MeisterSmudge

seedsofchaos

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -42.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Hmmm... What to say about Yakima Rye IPA? I actually thought myself quite lucky to land a bottle of this at my local bottle shop recently as I have never seen New Albanian bombers anywhere else before. The quasi neo-cowboy with the hop tattoo on his neck that adorns the label pretty much won me over.

Pouring this beer is an absolute mess. I love good head just as much as the next guy... But this..? Carbonation. Carbonation. Over-Carbonation. The gentlest pour quickly produces a 4 finger head that bellows up the glass and readies itself to make a mess on my floor. Nice try, Yakima cowboy. I was paying attention. This fuzzy and billowing brilliant white head is thick enough to scoop up and eat with a spoon. No exaggeration needed. Bubbles throughout and tons of sediment floating through this murky, chill-hazed and honey colored brew... Okay, so we aren't off to a good start buckaroo but maybe you smell and taste great.

A quick and careful sniff... Not bad. Good citrus. Bready malts. Plenty of grapefruit and pineapple and even a little apple and peach. Yakima isn't an overly pungent beer. In fact, I'd even say it's a bit muted. But it's aroma definitely makes up for it's bold and brash introduction.

Well... Here we go again. Astringent as soon as it hits my mouth, this Rye IPA tastes closer to eating firewood than it does to drinking a hop forward brew. I hate to be overly critical but too many early hop additions and what seems like NO late hop additions ruins what could have been a decently crafted beer. Where is all the woodiness coming from? It's like raw medicinal oak in my mouth with a splash of ale behind it. If you can get through the astringency and aspirin, one can eventually discern some of the biscuit-like malt flavors and some rye. Those beautiful and delicate fruits in the bouquet? Where did they go?

Something was definitely amiss here. I can only hope that this beer had been sitting on the shelf for a year and these off flavors are more a result of oxidation than of purposeful brewing. If not, this is a homebrew gone bad. Great smelling, Yakima left me disappointed and trying to get the taste of paper and Tylenol out of my mouth.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 21:49:53 | More by seedsofchaos

benpopper

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5.3%

01-01-2012 18:05:14 | More by benpopper