Rye 75 - Bluegrass Brewing Co. - East St. Matthew's

FanofHefe

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at the brew house in a nonic pint glass. Creamy, off-white two-finger head that has great retention and leaves tons of lacing. Ruby red body that is mostly clear.

Strong piney hop aroma that hits you hard out of the gate. A slight note of citrus and light caramel malt.

The flavor follows the aroma closely and has a solid pine resin hop flavor. A light note of spiciness from the rye is present and blends with the background citrus hop flavors. Not too sweet as a minor amount of the malt takes a back seat to the hops and rye.

Medium texture in the mouthfeel. Enjoyable for sure; I'd have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 21:28:34 | More by FanofHefe

Bierlerner

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- pours a nice deep and hazy copper with a murky orange hue. A nice two-finger, frothy, creamy, off-white head.

S- kinda light on the aroma. Rye is present along with citrus and floral hops.

T- Rye, sticky, sweet, and floral. Nuggety. Citrusy. Deep and rich. Hint of ginger.

M- great medium body with medium carbonation. Rich and creamy.

O- highly enjoyable. Great body and rich sweet hops. I'm lovin it.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 02:26:54 | More by Bierlerner

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

clear reddish amber, the amount of red in the color actually was a bit suprising as it actually had a deep ruby almost hue to it. Lots and lots of carbonation were visible on the pour and continued for a good bit afterwards as well. The head that formed on the top was a monster of truly epic proportions.

Very fresh aroma coming off of this one and I mean very fresh, you could almost taste I with the smell it was soo much. Just tons and tons of sweet, sticky, floral hops. This was just great. really great fresh hop taste here. Now it wasn’t that overly bitter jaw breaking bitterness that some IPA’s bring. No not at all here, this was a much more subtle, and sweet and sticky nugget like hops that was like candy it was soo good. It was just a nice full flavor, nothing extreme, nothing mellowed, nothing watered down. A good back of grain was easily apparent way underneath and this is what was built upon with layer after layer of pine nugget like freshness. Really a quality brew here.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 22:22:44 | More by mikesgroove

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Finch's shaker pint glass at Local Option.

The 2011 Bachelor Party Extravaganza shuffles its way down to the Local Option. Get some! This encounter there pours a mostly clear sunset copper topped by a finger of dirty white foam. The nose comprises toffee, cashews, spicy rye, and a touch of grapefruit rind. The taste holds notes of caramel, very light cocoa, plenty of spicy rye, and then a nice combo zing of pine and grapefruit peel. Those last three elements duke it out in the finish for some time; the lingering isn't exactly the most pleasant experience out there, but it's not too offensive, either. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, a very nice rye IPA, one that harnesses the power of rye spice rather well. Good times.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 17:18:29 | More by TMoney2591

mntlover

Tennessee

3.35/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy copper color with nice big frothy tan head that falls slow and laces well. Thanks go to merlin48 for this one.

Aroma is big caramel malts with some spicy rye notes.

Taste big chewy caramel malts to start then the rye kicks in some light tart notes mingled with some lemon/lime hops. Finish lingering rye and some light peppery alcoholic spice. No real alcohol notes per say just adds a little spice kick.

Mouthfeel is nice big medium with medium carbonation.

Overall seems like a decent beer might have just little to much age on it, rye aides in the feel and adds some tart spicy notes.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 02:20:42 | More by mntlover

seabass87

Kentucky

3.23/5  rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured from 25.4 oz bottle into glass.

A- Pours a dark copper with a creamy beige head that dies quickly. Leaves a nice amount of healthy lacing.

S- Sweet aroma of citrus hops combined with some boozy white grapes. A bit of nuts.

T- Relatively sweet and malty and first, followed by a bite of piney hops. Strong, piney aftertaste. Pretty simple, but effective taste that was enjoyable but needs to be smoother.

M- There's basically no carbonation here, something that I feel would have easied the taste transition a bit more gracefully. Medium-light body for an IPA, but is sticky in the mouth. I did not like the feel of this beer.

O- This was decent. You get a good price-to-taste ratio. It is a shame though, because I feel like they really could have just tweaked the mouthfeel and the harshness of the punch in the taste, as the culmination of flavors would have been great.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 02:28:46 | More by seabass87

chicagoabbot

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Big slam bottle conditioned brew split into two pint glasses and shared with a friend who brought this back to Chicago from Kentucky.

Low marks on appearance because the head is insufficient, almost nonexistent. Decent color though, a fairly bright orange with some density.

Aroma has that rye character and some hoppiness. I do like rye beers a lot, so this one gets decent marks there for the rye-ness. Not quite as much hop-nose as one would like though.

Taste follows the nose, not adding too much, but with a desirable rye flavor and some bitterness from the hops. It's decent and drinkable.

Mouthfeel is fine despite the low carbonation. Overall, even though they didn't 'nail it', this brew is a decent effort and I wouldn't mind drinking it again sometime.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 05:17:56 | More by chicagoabbot

Tone

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, amber color. 1/5 inch head of an off-white color. Decent retention and good lacing. Smells of strong citrus hops, hint of floral hops, rye, and slight sweet malt. Fits the style of an American IPA. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of strong citrus hops, slight floral hops, sweet malt, slight rye, and slight wet hop flavor. Overall, good aroma and body.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 19:43:55 | More by Tone

claspada

New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Aromas of light sweet caramel maltiness with lesser notes of herbal and grassy hops; faint spiciness from the rye.
The taste begins with sweet honey and light caramel maltiness but quickly shifts to floral, grassy and herbal bitterness. The finish lingers for a long time unpleasantly and has this metallic characteristic; mouthfeel is light and watery with not enough carbonation. Overall this is one of the worst examples of beer brewed with rye I have had to date; I wonder if freshness is an issue. I wish every craft beer over $5 had a date on it so people wouldn't waste money on beer past its prime.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 22:24:26 | More by claspada

billshmeinke

California

1.85/5  rDev -53%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Poured into a standard pint.

Pours an amber golden body. Half finger off white head. Decent lacing and retention.

Tons of sweet malts fragrance, basically smells like watered down honey.

Taste is toasted caramel malts and honey, then faint grassy hops and lots of vegetative bitterness. This tastes like a watery barleywine with minimal hop presence.

Medium bodied, low carbonation, watery. Maybe the worst part of this beer.

Drain pour. This was just not a good beer. I don't know what the boys of Bluegrass Brewing think an IPA should taste like, but this is not what I think an IPA should taste like (or any beer for that matter).

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2010 00:30:58 | More by billshmeinke

Bierguy5

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler from Party Town. Pours a clear, reddish copper color. Nice white fluffy head. Pretty good retention, and lace.

Caramel malt aroma. Some spicy and earthy notes, fitting for rye. Some citrus and pine hop notes softly in the background.

Solid caramel malt background. A nice layer of spicy rye, combined with some earthy bitterness. Some citrus notes fall softly in the background.

Medium body, a good amount of carbonation. Alcohol pretty well hidden. This is a pretty nice beer, especially for the price.

Serving type: growler

07-04-2010 21:07:23 | More by Bierguy5

RomaniIteDomum

Florida

4.2/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to BEERchitect for this one, obtained while in Lexington.

Pours an exceptionally dark amber with a bit of head. Nothing spectacular, but still nice.

Smells of rye and hops. The rye brings a nice fresh bread quality and the cops come off as a slightly more spicy bitterness than usual.

The taste follows fairly nicely. Lots of fresh bread and some spicy citrus in the finish. Sweet and spicy, great combination.

The creamy feel of this beer is very luxurious. Nice and smooth with good carbonation complimenting the hoppy bite.

This is another great brew from BBC. Great drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 18:59:14 | More by RomaniIteDomum

RustyDiamond

Georgia

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

hazy chesnut whitish head that quickly dissipated

malty..pretzel...doughy rye taste

citric bitter...subtle hop flavor up front...nutty

deep citrus...sharp yet grassy. citrus not on the forefront, the malt is

resiny bitterness...teeth coating

good drinkablity

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2010 19:20:14 | More by RustyDiamond

VaTechHopHead

California

3.95/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Unfiltered medium brown with an average, quick fading head. Lacing is there but nothing too extreme and no visible carbonation in this brew.

S - Lots of hops up front with a complimentary malt aroma. The spiciness of the rye is definitely there with slight yeast aromas in the background.

T - Again lots of hops at the beginning...earthy flavored and very bitter. Smooth creamy malt parts the bittering towards the middle but finishes bitter with a nice pine flavor.

M/D - Medium body with a very dry finish and hidden alcohol strength. Strongly carbonated and very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2010 23:31:13 | More by VaTechHopHead

mobyfann

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Paid $6.99 for a growler at Party Town in Florence, KY...

Pours an amber colored base with a medium sized head, great retention and minimal lacing on the glass. Aroma is a blast of fresh rye and hops.

Taste is smooth with little carbonation, has a nice sweet tooth to it, maybe caramel mixed with rye bread? Extremely not heavy and a delightful beer, very drinkable, end of story...

Final Thought: It's a really nice Rye-IPA hybrid that compares well with Founders Red's Rye P.A.; which is an amazing compliment.

Serving type: growler

03-21-2010 00:13:23 | More by mobyfann

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours out a hazed, dark amber body with a thinnish, white head.

Smell: A nose smelling richly of bready, caramel-scented malts with some light buttery notes and hop scents imparting suggestions of citrus fruits and dew-damp leaves. Nice spicy rye character, too.

Taste: Starts with a markedly sweet taste of caramel and joins a touch of buttered toast to eventually give you a rich butterscotch flavor. Zesty, spicy malted rye component throughout. The hops are chiefly citrusy, though they do yield some additional leafy, floral tones. Moderate bitterness. Drying, bittersweet finish with some slight alcohol warmth

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: I like it, it's a tasty, well put together rye-based brew. I recall a time you'd be hard-pressed to find a rye beer. Isn't it nice that's hardly the case anymore?

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2010 19:46:45 | More by ChainGangGuy

merlin48

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle. Pours a murky dark orange body with a medium sized almond head. Good retention and plenty of sticky patch lacing.

Aroma is caramel and citrusy hops with a nice edge of peppery and earthy rye. Grapefruit and other citrusy esters are aggressive and join with some pine essence.

Mouthfeel reveals a moderate carbonation and a thick, almost chewy feel. Not quite full bodied.

Taste is dominated by hop bitterness but there is a sturdy caramel malt backbone. Pine, grassy, and citrusy hops all take a punch at the palate. The rye is very apparent, and contributes a bready and peppery earthiness. Finishes a bit dry.

Bet this one was really hoppy when fresh. Still quite aggressive after five months in the cellar. I'm a big fan of rye beers and this is one of the better ones I've encountered.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 23:12:53 | More by merlin48

bluejacket74

Ohio

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

750 ml bottle. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a dark copper color with an inch off-white head. Head retention is low, but there's a lot of lacing left on the glass. Aroma is mostly citrusy (grapefruit) and pine hops, along with some caramel malt and rye. The taste is the same as the aroma, it's all hops, caramel malt and rye. However, the flavors are a bit more balanced compared to the aroma. There's also a nice lingering bitter hoppy finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a little creamy and coating, and also has moderate carbonation. Drinkability is pretty good, it's smooth and very easy to drink! The 7.5% ABV isn't noticable at all. Overall I think this is a good brew, I'd definitely pick this up again the next time I stop at Party Town or BBC. And it's pretty inexpensive too, IIRC. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 00:49:51 | More by bluejacket74

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an effervescent caramel with a finger of tan head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Bready & fruity & peppery rye

T: Follows the nose with flowery & citrus hops, plus spicy rye, marmalade & grapefruit emerge as this warms, plus a touch of dryness, plus some pear & whisper of booze. Finishes crisp, dry with a nice fruityness

MF: Medium bodied, with minimal carbonation & great balance, might skew a tad fruitty

Drinks very easy, not the most in your face AIPA, i would even assert it skews English. I do like the effective use of rye

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2010 05:31:05 | More by russpowell

Cresant

Kentucky

3.13/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured this 750 mL brown bottle into a Sam Adams glass. No date. A slow boil created an upward cascade of tan head which left lots of sticky lace. The body was a murky tawny brown.

Smell was spicy with a pleasant sourness.

Taste was malt sweetness. The creeping bitterness lingered in the finish. Tobacco leaf flavors. This one leans toward the malts rather than the bitterness, which for me is unfortunate, I prefer the hops end of the spectrum.

Mouthfeel was slick and somewhat creamy. Medium to full body, really I think a lighter body would suit this style better. I would like to try this on tap.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2009 16:39:06 | More by Cresant

peabody

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a couldy copper color with onhe finger of big white bubbly suds. Lacing does occur here.
Smell is very citrusy and piney. Just what a hop-head loves. Can't detect the alcohol or much malt.
Taste is mellow sweet and bitter at the same time. Wow, this one is good. Finally Bluegrass Brewing has done something I like.
You get the sweet malt and the sugary caramel then along with that you have the dark black bitterness of the hops. Different from most IPA's and I think that is just fantastic.
Mouthfeel is just sticky enough to want another drink. The dark bitterness comes and goes here then leaves as quickly as it greets you.
I am gonna request a keg of this one to come to my local beermart!

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2009 22:23:27 | More by peabody

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.9/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

There's something about the marriage of rye and hops that makes IPA's great.

This lightly carbonated hop bomb pours with a deep copper and just slight of brilliancy. A low-lying head remains creamy and persistent throughout while leaving a lot of lacing behind. A good Enligsh looking cask ale to the eye- handsome and gentlemanly.

The nose is of very rich malts of sun-kissed grains, caramels and sweetbreads. American citrus hops dominate the rim with a spicy, pungent, and earthy rye element. In the end, I get a metalic note that could come from the grains or hops; regardless seems distracting.

The flavor has the aggressive hop bitterness, flavor and bite, compounded and yet balanced by the spicy earthy rye. Malts take hold with solid but non-descript fruitiness, toffee, and maple.

The body of the beer is creamy and probably a bit heavier than it really is because of light carbonation. Still, the beer leaves a bit more residual sweetness on the tongue despite its dry, graham cracker-like finish.

Bluegrass Brewing has always done well with the hoppy stuff. This is another great display of their mastery. Good job!

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2009 04:13:25 | More by BEERchitect

rhinos00

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a growler at Party Town for $5.99!!! Poured into a pint glass.

A- Pours a nice amber color. Produced two fingers width of white head. Some lacing as the beer was consumed.

S- Just phenomenal! Lots of floral, citrus notes going on here. A little bit of rye is detectable, but the hops run the show here.

T- A lot different than the aroma. The rye dominates the taste, while the hops take more of a back seat. Still a nice combination of light floral, citrus, piney hops, which provide a great backdrop for this beer. If the rye was toned down just a little bit, this would definitely be a 4.5.

M- Medium bodied. Clean and crisp. Well carbonated.

D- This growler went by very fast between two of us. Just a great drinking beer.

Overall, to tell you the truth, I'm really not a big fan of BBC's beers. Most have been disappointing. However, this is definitely a solid beer and a very good collaboration beer. The guys at Party Town did good with this one.

Serving type: growler

11-10-2009 00:59:43 | More by rhinos00

movingtrain

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a growler of Rye 75 at Party Town.

Poured into a pint glass.

Pours a nice amber/copper color, with a strong head that clings to the sides of the glass as it goes down.

Smells of pine, citrus, rye, potent hops, caramel, cedar.

Tastes of grapefruit, apples, light cinnamon, bitter apples, and maybe some salty cracker/bread notes.

This is a phenomenal beer. I'm glad that the collaboration between the awesome guys at Party Town and BBC came together to make this beer. It is quite remarkable, incredibly drinkable, and one that stands out amongst the rest. I love that it's a rye beer, adding that extra bite. Nice job.

Serving type: growler

10-13-2009 23:31:20 | More by movingtrain

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A reddish, copper pour, bright. Fluffly white head retained nicely.
Hints of citrus can be detected through a dense pine and grassiness in the aroma. Slight sweet malt comes through.
Ingredients in this beer seem to fight for flavor dominance. the rye adds an herbal tone to the bite, while the hops meander around citrus and pine. More pine, but perhaps that's the rye that throws in its influence. I would like to see more bite. Nice drinking, alcohol does come in on the end to add another round of kick.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2009 22:28:08 | More by Mebuzzard