Rye'd Da Lightning - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Dark Lord Day 2012. Several pours from a plastic cup into a mini snifter. Pours a clear golden color with a nice white head. Good retention and plenty of sticky lacing on the way down. The nose carries a hefty amount of citrus along with some light tropical fruits and a bit of a floral character. Rye spice lingers in the background. Touch of earth makes its way through into the flavor. Great combination of rye and hops. Body is light and fairly-crisp with a solid hop bitterness. Huge fan of this one.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2012 17:38:42 | More by Thorpe429

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Apparently Reckless Records have a thing for bitterness, spiciness, earthy tones, and rustic charm. Because their Three Floyds collaboration does just that.

This strong and earthy ale gives a rusty bronze hue, softly back lit wit a gentle night-light glow. The fluffy and liquefied head shows stubborn staying power and laces with broken islands of foam that provide an artistic and random display.

Largely perfumey with an aromatic bouquet of fragrant orange blossom, sweet red grapefruit, the zest of tangerine, pulp of mango, and a soft sprucy scent that weaves together with impressions of spice, crust, and pepper, and grain- both rustic and delicate all at the same time.

Light sweetness of the most terse caramel possible with other hearty sweetnesses of crusted breads, earthen rye, dull peppercorn, grain and honey quickly face and pave the way for a mid palate of hop character to charge ahead. Vibrant orange pulp and zest, ruby red grapefruit juice, pine, mangoes and apricots allow for a highly juicy and dry taste all at the same time. Finishing cleanly bitter with resiny hop character and that of citrus pith, only the earthen spice of rye stands in the way with complexity and dirty affair.

Creamy and light bodied, the malty meringue of carbonation and fruit gives an almost-medium feel except for the grain spice (without any astringency), the alcoholic minty warmth, and dying sweetness allows the beer to snap close with confidence and awakening.

Rye and hops come together like this- somewhat embattled conflict yet seamless accompaniment.... aah, folks- this is where complexity is made at its highest level. And where are the grain derived astringency? Where is the earthy distraction? Where are the unresolved malty sweetness? Nowhere!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 06:05:59 | More by BEERchitect

drabmuh

Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Beer shared by Thorpe, served in a Three Floyds stemmed glass. At the time of this review, this is #4 on the "Top Beers - Rye Beer" list on beeradvocate.com.

Beer is brown with a thin tan off white head of small bubbles, decent retention, some lacing, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is mildly hoppy, a little grainy, sweet with some yeast.

Not as hoppy as I thought, the rye comes through with a nice mild floral / earthiness on the palate. Decent but probably not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 18:30:44 | More by drabmuh

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this multiple times at DLD on-tap, and then again out of the bottle. Served in a Hill Farmstead glass.

A - Off-white foam settles to wisps, thick collar, and a few spots of lace. Transparent copper body.

S - Rye, zesty citrus, earthy hops, and some sweeter tangerine notes that comes out as the beer warms up. There's a hint of cattiness as well. Other than the rye there isn't a ton of malt character.

T - Taste is similar, with citrus, sugary malts, nice rye zest, a hint of herbal flavor, and moderate finishing bitterness. Nice depth, balance, and intensity.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, super dry, with a resinous enamel-coating finish.

D - This stuff is great. I hope they make it regularly, as it's too good to be a mere one-off. Chris and I easily crushed a bomber, and I suspect either of us would have been happy to do so on our own.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 18:02:25 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Brewed in collaboration with Reckless Records for Record Store Day 2012.
Thanks to Jim for this surprise beer I thought was long gone...

Burnished orange, saturated tones with steady rising carbonation trails. Creamy foam that adheres nicely inside the glass leaving behind a halo of lacing. Extremely resilient head retention, unbroken for the duration of the glass.

Dried citrus peel and tangerine zest, some light spiciness and finally pale malt bleeding through.

Burly rye character, grainy with a mild spiciness shot through with zesty citrus notes of grapefruit and tangerine. Citrus tea and pine needles. Somewhat subdued after a few months but still holding its own and extremely drinkable. Medium bodied with a dry bitter finish, very light malt sweetness in the background. Overall very solid, with FFF's trademark hop signature all over it.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 00:15:43 | More by emerge077

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Mad thanks to justanothergalen for bringing this to trade at the Solar Eclipse party!

Pours out a vibrant gold color with phenomenal clarity for anything with rye in it. Lots of citrus and hoppy aroma going on, couldn't pick anything up in the aroma that would lead to me saying "rye!" but whats most important is that this smelled like a hoppy winner.

Taste, wow amazingly light bodied, this one was a lot more similar to zombie dust and gumballhead than I would have thought based on my expectations. Hops are so good and fresh, and it must have a decent shelf life, because I didn't drink it until at least 2-3 weeks after it had been trekked out here 2000 miles. Just another example of a brewery that makes great hoppy beers, being overshadowed by something bigger, in this case, Dark Lord. This tasted as good as FiftyFifty's Ryepa used to. . . i.e. in that small window when its real good or fresh, but the last few times, just all bitterness.

This is relatively straight forward, and if you're looking for just the rye, you might be disappointed, but if you're looking for minimal, but adequate rye aspects in a world class hoppy beer, go no further.

Oh, and the bitterness and sweetness are so low here, its just a ton of hops, mild citrus flavors, and fractional rye impact. If it were in their portfolio, this would be the most deserved beer in the Yum foods brand.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2012 22:45:29 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HopHead84

California

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

4/13/2012

Cask at Real Ale.

A: Burnished dark gold with a big bubbly white head.

S: Concentrated citrus flesh, redolent of apricot, tangerine, and orange. Pungent pine resin. Perfumy floral notes.

T: Orange and tangerine flesh with an upper low sweetness. Upper low bitterness with no alcohol or harshness whatever. Malt is restrained.

M: Upper light body with a dry, smooth mouthfeel.

Overall: A very nice pale ale. Poured this into a small glass from the imperial pint glass and it came alive

Serving type: cask

04-16-2012 16:43:03 | More by HopHead84

mynie

Indiana

4.15/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On regular, non-cask tap at DLD. It was the first beer I had, because I'll be goddamned if a sessionable ryePA didn't sound perfect after waiting in line for two hours.

Pours hazy, reddish gold with a decent head. Pretty boilerplate for a rye pale, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Smells sharply citrus with a decent rye tang.

Tastes the same, but the neat balance between the sharp hops and slightly-less sharp rye and barley back end becomes more apparent and much more interesting. Most brewers overload their rye beers with tons of hops, basically blotting out the neatness of the rye. Here, the Floyds show some uncharacteristic hop-restraint, and try instead to but the hops and rye in more productive communication with one another. The results aren't quite perfect, but still pretty close.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 14:04:26 | More by mynie

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a mostly clean copper tinted amber, full fluffy bone white head, good retention and lacing. Scent is strong on the tropical fruit notes, citrus and pine with moderate rye spice notes, caramel and biscuity malt presence. Fruity and bitter hops star in the flavor with the rye taking a back seat along with the lightly sweet malts. Medium bodied, lingering bitterness. Solid rye beer all around, while not completely rye forward, still stands up to some of the better hoppy rye beers such as those from Bear Republic and Founders.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 20:50:51 | More by rfgetz

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from the brewery, 650ml into a tulip.

Clear orange body with a couple fingers of white head. Good retention and lacing. Nose had a whole load of citrus, peach and tangerine, some resin and dank notes. Solid malt base, and the rye is quite present, a hint of spice. Some candy notes as well. Tastes takes it up a notch, full bodied, chewy and hoppy. Loads more citrus and resin. Light breadiness, and the rye shines again. Light spiciness to accent the hops in the best way. Great feel, moderate bitterness and medium carbonation. Just another rye based IPA that does it all right.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 03:03:02 | More by liamt07

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Weebay for sharing this one.

A - Medium orange colour with a small amount of white head.

S - Tangerine, blood oranges, sweet caramel and spicy rye. Very fresh and vibrant aroma, typical of FFF beers.

T - Grapefruit, tangerine, blood orange flavours are complimented by a decent sweet caramel malt backbone. The rye adds a nice spiciness and another layer of complexity to this beer.

M - Light to medium body. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 18:26:09 | More by TheSevenDuffs

mcallister

Ohio

4/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a crystal clear copper with a finger off white head. Fluffy and pillow like with great retention.

Smells like a Lagunitas beer too me. Bright citrusy hops, reisouny, oily hop aromas covering up most of the malt and leaving only a ester of the rye spiciness.

Rye comes out more in the mouth. A bit thin big bright citrusy hops, hints of toffee, very clean on the palate with brisk carbonation. Not overly complex but easy drinking and quaffable. Some tropical fruit as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 20:33:21 | More by mcallister

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle thanks to jeonseth. Opened on 5.21.12.

A - Pours a clear, reddish-orange with a cream-colored head. Good retention.

S - Citrus-tangerine and orange, malty-carmel and bread.

T - Oranges, citrus, bread.

D - Tons of carbonation and a medium body.

O - More citrus than expected. A very nice balance between the hops and malts.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 22:21:09 | More by HuskyinPDX

Sean9689

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at FFF.

A - Pours a darker golden/orange color, white frothy head, thin collar, wisps on top.

S - Rye, hops, toasted malts, citrus up front. Not over-rye'd, nicely balanced with a good hop presence and the citrus notes add a nice complexity.

T - Citrus, bitter hops, rye, and toasted grains. Again, all very well-balanced and works together nicely. It's a hoppy rye, which is obvious since it's a FFF beer. Finish is toasted malts and hops.

M - Light body, good carbonation, dry grainy finish.

O - I destroyed my pour in record time. Not sure what it's like out of the bottle, but on-tap, this is an excellent hoppy rye beer. I will definitely be having this one again if it's on-tap next time I stop by FFF.

Serving type: on-tap

06-07-2012 14:35:58 | More by Sean9689

cosmicevan

New York

4.75/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

big thanks to stxSS07 for sending this my way along with some of the teku glasses.

a - brew poured a fairly opaque almost pewter orange. when held to the light i could see some shadows and outlines of the objects on the other side. a thin finger of bubbles served as the head which left relatively quick leaving nothing more than just a skin of bubbles. lacing was spotty, but present.

s - HOLY MOLY! smells like a world class IPA. wonderful citric and grapefruit blast. some rye is present, but this is a hop bonanza!!! smells insanely good.

t - the taste does not disappoint. the hops in the nose are perfectly married with a wonderful rye grain presence. very earthy without being gross. just a masterpiece.

m - medium bodied. solid. even carbonation. light and easy to drink. really well balanced.

o - overall, rye beers are one of my favorites and i think i may have found the best rye beer i've ever tried. the hops are perfect right now. why, oh why can't i live walking distance to three floyds...heck, i'll take the regular offerings on the shelf. PLEASE EXPAND distro!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 02:07:54 | More by cosmicevan

WoodBrew

Illinois

5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

From a bomber poured into a duvel tulip. Pours a clear orange copper with an inch of off white head that shrinks with nice lacing. Aroma is tangerine, pine resin, grapefruit, apricot, and rye. Flavor follows aroma. Blood fruit, tangerine, grapefruit, some tropical fruit, and a rye based malty backbone. Thin to medium mouthfeel. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 17:29:51 | More by WoodBrew

merc7186

New York

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2012 bomber into snifter glass.

A: Amber Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Great Lacing

S: Rye, Sweet Malts, Green Tea

T: Rye, Green Tea, Malty

M: Great Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Malty

Overall, I wished I had this fresh instead of sitting on it...but still pretty solid with some age.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 22:55:46 | More by merc7186

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle, thanks Chris. Served in a glass.

Pours a clearish golden bronze color with a quickly fading off white head that leaves smalls dots of lace trailing the glass. Malty and spicy nose, fairly bready, strong hints of rye and resiny hop. Flavor is much sweeter with citrus hops, red tropical fruit and caramel malt dominating. Spice is much less present than nose, but dry finish still has an earthy rye tinge to it. Finish also has a slight bubblegum aftertaste to it that I find unpleasant. Syrupy medium thick body with soft carbonation. If not for the finish this would be a favorite rye beer for the amount of citrus hops it packs.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 23:35:56 | More by yourefragile

Florida9

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: clear copper in color. Forms a thin off white head that is fairly stable. Some light lacing.

S: aromatic. Full of citrus with lots of grapefruit and orange with hints of tropical fruit and mango.

T: Zesty grapefruit with notes of orange. Some mild caramel malts and rye create a peppery base that accents the citrus hops nicely. Clean finish. Very mild bitterness.

M: on the lighter side of medium. Good carbonation. Very mild bitterness

O: A very nice easy drinking beer. Like the citrus character (reminiscent of Citra) with the peppery quality. Almost like a rye Zombie Dust.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 23:03:11 | More by Florida9

aasher

Indiana

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked up a few of these this past weekend at Three Floyds.

This beer pours a light bodied bright bronze in clor with a two finger, very soapy white head. The nose is compromised of citrusy, and I swear some Citra, hops with a nice slightly sweet malt backbone. It's hoppy without being Alpha King or Zombie Dust aggressive. The flavors are very well integrated. It is an off dry, citrusy and has a touch of pine as well as fresh soap. There is also a touch of rye spice. It drinks very smoothly and is light in body and very drinkable. For some reason I didn't really expect a beer like this but this one is really impressive. It has the Three Floyd's mark all over it. I'd recommend grabbing this while they still have some left at the brewpub.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 03:56:54 | More by aasher

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from bomber into dimpled glass mug. Pours burnt orange and deep golden with thin but nice-lasting white head that lasted well throughout. Aromas of rye, wheat, resiny tangerines, blood fruit, biscuit, and sweet wet hops. Flavors of sweet caramel, wheat, hops, and a somewhat bitter back finish. Medium bodied. Overall, a nice rye beer with some complex characters underneath.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 15:53:41 | More by CuriousMonk

david131

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a slightly hazy orange liquid with numerous streams of rising carbonation. The white head is thick and craggy with some nice lacing.

S- Rye and caramel with some earthiness, pine, grass, and just a bit of fruitiness.

T- Same flavors as the aroma with an emphasis on the earthiness and sweetness.

M- Some lingering bitterness follows the nice carbonation bite.

O- A very tasty take on the stye. Highly drinkable and flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 19:44:40 | More by david131

birchstick

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Cool beer for a great record store in Wicker Park. Pours an orange tiger eye color with a nice head. Nose consists of onion, dank, earthy hops with some spicy rye notes. Taste opens up with citrusy hops, which move on to caramel malts; these are quickly overwhelmed by a barrage of onion, dank hops with a subtle amount of spicy rye malts. Mouth is full and smooth. Overall, this is a solid rye IPA...I love this style and I love the execution of FFF's part.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 04:43:40 | More by birchstick

AleWatcher

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at FFF brewpub.
I have had this a few times, but I was slacking on reviews for the past year or so...

Served in a half-pint nonic.

Looks great-- clear, glowing, orange body with a nice effervescent stream of bubbles forming a white head of a fat finger. Decent retention. Sticky fat chunks of lacing left behind.

Smells of spicy rye, touch of earthiness, big old citrusy hops, and a little hint of what I can only describe as melon?! The flavor has a dry malt bill with the spicy rye and earthiness followed by a crisp and clean hop profile. Lots of citrusy grapefruit hops and a strong bitterness. Dry finish with a lingering rye note.

Feels medium-full. Firm body. Good carbonation.

Overall-- solid. Call this an ipa, I'll drink it. Call it a pale ale, I'll drink it. Call it a rye ale, and I'll say it's one of the best rye ales I've ever had. Just delicious.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2012 17:00:12 | More by AleWatcher

shand

Florida

4.48/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint. Thanks to Corbet!

This beer pours an orange color with a small head. The aroma is absolutely fantastic, it's got that rye sharpness, but it is complimented by a perfect blend of hops that round out the aroma. The taste is very good, it's rather hoppy, with the citrus and rye flavors riding out a nearly perfect finish. The mouthfeel is lighter and well-carbonated, and the drinkability is great. Overall, this is an exceptional Rye IPA. It's just perfectly composed so the hops and rye compliment each other to a T.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2012 00:05:49 | More by shand