Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale - Blue Point Brewing Company

claspada

New Jersey

2.58/5  rDev -31.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Aroma is farily floral and spicy from the hops and malt, respectively. SOme caramel and pale malt plays a small part as well.

The taste is all floral/earthy hops with a touch of citrus. Can get the rye in the middle and caramel malts at the end. It's somehow not balanced in my opinion. I would prefer more rye bitterness and less hop bitterness/flavor. Has a creaminess that helps but does not save completely; medium bodied. Taste lingers on the back of the tongue for a few minutes.

This tastes like a muted version of Bear Republic's Hop Rye which I also was not too fond of. My preference is a more balanced Rye style like from Terrapin or Sixpoint or The Bruery.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2010 02:51:48 | More by claspada

donniecuffs

New Jersey

2.85/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Ok, so here it finally was: the golden moment where I got to try one of the "great" beers that some of my friends talked about ad nauseum. Let's see what happened at The Blind Tiger, NYC...

Poured an amber brownish color into an American pint glass, with nearly zero head or lacing. Smelled of sweet orange, very little malt, and very very feint caraway seeds. Tasted of syrupy sweet oranges and pineapples, with nearly no rye essence whatsoever, and no malt balance either. Medium-bodied, with a decent carbo presence. Drinkable? Not really, by my standards. One of the more overrated beers I've tried in a long time. If you want a truly superb 'rye beer', visit a Triumph Brewery (NJ/PA). Despite the chain association, that place's best beer hands down is their rye beer, and quite possibly it could be the best rye beer I've ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2009 03:20:00 | More by donniecuffs

Brent

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer mever seemed to find a direction - started out a bit malty and sweet, closely followed by rather nondescript hops bittering, then a touch of spicy bite from the rye, but not reallly enought to make a statement that this is a rye beer. None of the flavors seemed to play well together, and the whole was not greater than the sum of the parts.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 16:07:19 | More by Brent

kylehay2004

Florida

3.03/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Single finger head with a lot of lacing on a slightly hazy golden with crimson hues body. Aroma is very light and in comparison to others it is subpar. Mostly consists of citrus hops. For taste, there are more citrus hop flavors but also light. Licorice notes as well but no rye to speak of. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Drinkable overall and not a bad beer, just not one of my favorite rye beers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-24-2011 04:44:17 | More by kylehay2004

vfgccp

New York

3.05/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

- Sampled at the Blue Point Brewery tasting room -

A - Orange brow amber. Low head but nice lace.

S - Light toast, sweet orange wood. Light nuttiness.

T - Bitter birch wood. Lightly toasted malt. Orange pith. Finishes with a backdrop of rye bread.

M - Lightly sweet finish. Medium body. Bitter finish.

D - The integration of the flavors is just ok.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2011 21:09:17 | More by vfgccp

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.09/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal clear deep copper color with a nice big beige head that persists forever. The aroma is caramel and toffee with an herbal earthy edge and faint traces of yeasty plastic phenols. The flavor holds much of the same attributes from the nose. Caramel toffee and butterscotch mixed with earthy floral hops and a weird herbal almost medicinal flavor. Medium body with moderate level of carbonation and a slick bubbly mouthfeel. I thought this one was ok but nothing special. Its got a weirdness to it that I just couldn't get into.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 00:07:51 | More by johnnnniee

keanex

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a pint glass.

A: Slightly hazy pumpkin colored beer with carbonation bubbles rising to a very thin tan head.

S: Faint rye bread with a hint of a piney/tropical hops blend.

T: Clean but bland flavor overall, has a weak slight hops bite. As it warms up some sweetness comes out through the malts.

M: Medium body and fizzy carbonation.

O: I was expecting a lot more after this being recommended from me liking Hop Rod. I won't buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2011 17:25:14 | More by keanex

LordHammer

New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bomber into my Northern Brewer glass.

A: Slightly cloudy amber with an inch of off white head that fades to a nearly solid covering. Nice lace all the way down the glass.

S: Nose is grainy and hop bitterness, some sense of the rye here.

T: Strong malt up front, then a solid shot of hop bitterness with a dry finish. Taste that lingers is a bit bitter and definitely full of grain husk. It's okay, but something not quite right here.

M: Carbonation is light to moderate, with the overall body on the thinner side. Seems like it should be a bit more robust here.

D: I could drink quite a lot of this, but it's just not good enough to want more than the bomber I have. I would come back to it, but likely not seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 21:12:43 | More by LordHammer

ktrillionaire

Florida

3.18/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This packaging is the worst. I don't think it would appeal to Rastas (who aren't supposed to drink anyway), nor to the average Joe, nor to the smoked-out hippie. The beer is pretty good though, and the informational sidebar is minorly interesting.

A - Amber-sepia hue, two-finger head, and plastered lacing. Real good-looking.

S - Overripe orange and sweeter lemon-lime and vanilla notes over a dry but potent malt. I don't like it. I don't know how the olfactory got like this, but I suspect it has to do with unison of the citric hop and the pungent aspect of the rye aroma.

T - Tastes almost nothing like it smells. It is similar to a nice IPA, but with a complementary rye element that is really a great vehicle to amplify the hop flavor. Very nice lingering bitterness. The overripe orange in the nose is transformed into more of an orange blossom impression when coupled with the floral hop.

M - Nice. Crisp and dry, full-bodied amber hoppiness.

D - I am not a fan of the nose, and so I have to rate this slightly less drinkable

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 03:22:52 | More by ktrillionaire

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I'm glad some one besides Red Stripe is putting Jamaicans back in beer. Hooray beer.

Clear gold color, looks thick. Large, white fluffy head leaves lacey worm tunnels. Glass bottom retention.

Bubble gum and pine edged citrus hop aroma. Little bit of rye spice in there as well.

Honestly, this tastes like a Denny Con (spelling? sorry bud) RyePA that's all over internet homebrew forums...only Rastafa isn't nearly as good. This is one case where bigger definitely isn't better as the lively rye spice gets weighed down by too thick malt. Just be yourself lil' feller.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2010 04:34:10 | More by donkeyrunner

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

16 ounce pint - $5.25 at Taco Mac in Woodstock, Georgia.

Appearance: Served up a clear, golden-amber body with a thin, ivory-hued head. Very slight film on the descent.

Smell: A sweet-scented note of light brown sugar atop toasty, bready malts. Dried lemon peel, some orange, and the foretelling rye malt, with a little showing from the alcohol.

Taste: Follows through what the scent sets up. Bready, with some sweetness akin to light-colored brown sugar and a slight toastiness. Small hint of raisiny fruitiness, then, the citrusy, herbal hops mingled into the rye character. Moderate bitterness. More of the rye and citric qualities on the long finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a very, very little bit of stickiness to the overall mouthfeel. Medium carbonation.

Overall: It's okay, but there are better rye beers to be had out there, if you really must know.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2012 19:45:53 | More by ChainGangGuy

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bomber courtesy of Cuzco in a local BIF, thanks! Pours a medium copper color with a large, fluffy off-white shimmering foam, almost soapy looking. Darker color than I expected. Ridiculous lacing, clings all over the place in large chunks. Reading the label out loud makes me realize how shitty my Jamaican accent is!

Nose is earthy rye and dull hops with some toasty and biscuity malt. Some yeasty undertones and a healthy dose of caramel come on as it warms a bit. Not as bright and crisp smelling as I prefer in a rye ale, this one is more akin to a British IPA.

I get some grassy, slightly citric hops and caramely, toasty malts in the flavor but it drops off pretty quick after that. There is some rye, but not sure I would have been able to pick it up had it been a blind tasting. Has an earthy feel to it that I am not liking in a rye. Carbonation is medium-low and mouthfeel is neither thin nor creamy, somewhere in the middle. The minerals and caramel/toast play give it a slightly British flavor. Not a whole lot of complexities for a 7.5% rye ale, just kinda meh for me. Seems to lack any crispness on the palate and feels dull and lifeless. I do like the name and label, but the beer is just ok. Founder's Red Rye it is not.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2010 21:31:58 | More by twiggamortis420

OrangeCharlie

Delaware

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

While visiting family on Long Island, I picked up this local brew based on past, good experiences trying Blue Point's malty offerings. Nothing impressive, but not bad either.

A: Pours a deep reddish copper color with a slight haze. Good, thick head and heavy lacing are indicative of the proteinaceous nature of rye.

S: Mostly Cascade hops, with a slight hint of caramel coming through as the beer warmed up.

T: A bit towards the end of citrusy American hops, though I did pick up some bready rye flavor behind it all. Nice, dry, bready finish.

M: Thick, almost chewy thanks to the presence of rye malt. Very pleasing.

D: OK for a hoppy brew. A touch more maltiness may have helped.

Overall, another hoppy rye beer that delivered on its description. Nothing against this beer or hoppy ryes in general, but it would be nice to see some US breweries begin to experiment with rye beers that aren't so hop-focused.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2009 20:13:02 | More by OrangeCharlie

Popkas

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a bright copper with a half finger of tiny bubble head.

S: Somewhat malty and then of a saison type spicy aroma to it.

T: A bready quality that has a touch of spice with the rye. Limited bitterness

M: Medium body. Nothing stands out in a bad or good way.

D: Pretty solid brew and certainly glad I had the opportunity to try it out even though I knew it was not my favorite style.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2010 01:46:38 | More by Popkas

bruachan

Rhode Island

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

amber-colored beer with exuberant carbonation that races to buttress a billowy merengue head

butterscotchy sweet aromas and sweet NW hops

good interplay between sweetness and the rye dryishness. the rye effect is tasteful, it should be said, and appears only within the context of greater caramel sweetness--not despite it. it is to be noticed that the sweetness would be intolerable without the rye's intervention...even so, it's sweet. creamy. low bitterness. butterscotch

here's my problem: this beer would be uninteresting without rye. maybe a touch of toast, but otherwise too sweet (i suppose i could be used to a more robust hop presence to keep such in check)

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2010 02:26:17 | More by bruachan

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber with no freshness info. Split with the wife.

Appearance: A pure honey colored body, creamy head (good 3 fingers) that leaves nice rings.

Smell: Toasted malt is the first aroma i pick out followed by some spiciness, caramel and vienna malt. Not much rye to speak of but still pleasant.

Taste: Let down for me. Spiciness that could be rye but wouldn't have called it that if it wasn't on the bottle. Lots of vienna malt again and a bit of a vegetal finish. Not offensive but doesn't win me over.

Mouthfeel: Average body, nice carbonation and a clean finish.

Overall: Avearge taste brings this one down. Ok but lackluster.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 12:12:10 | More by papat444

Timtac

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Color looks great with smaller than expected head. Strong smell subsided into strong spicy hops smell, which tastes balanced with rye malts. Surprised at the length of the bitter taste this brew leaves on tongue, especially with it's hoppy flavor and average IBU rating of 48.

I don't know if I'd take it as a compliment if I was a Rastaman that they dedicate this beer to honor the culture, but I'd only buy it again if I was planning on getting drunk. and cause of the cool bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2010 00:59:04 | More by Timtac

Seanibus

California

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very light cooper with a slight head that falls away almost immediately , though there is a lively little stream of carbonation up the sides. The smell is slight but toasty. The flavor is quite bready, quite dry, but mostly without the usual spicy sting one would expect from a rye beer, at least until the flavor settles at the back of the mouth, where there is a slight spicy burn. There's a reasonable malt bite, a little earthiness, but nothing extraordinary on the tongue. The mouthfeel is fairly slick.

Just ok for me, to quote a famous American Idol judge.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2009 22:08:12 | More by Seanibus

mdfb79

New York

3.38/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a pint glass.

a - Pours a reddish amber color with 1.5 fingers of white head and light carbonation. Nice lacing as well.

s - Smells of citrus hops, wheat, and bready malts. A bit musty as well which isn't attractive.

t - Tastes of citrus hops, bready malts, grain, and pine. Some slight bitterness from the hops.

m - Medium body and low carbonation with a little bit of bitterness.

d - An ok beer, but the smell was very disappointing. It just seemed musty and off, but the taste had some decent bitter citrus hops. Probably would give another shot in hopes the smell is just off in this one bottle.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2010 00:54:00 | More by mdfb79

Crimsonfloods

Florida

3.41/5  rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A: deep hazy orange, off white head, thick lacing, looks inviting!
S: light malty aroma with the rye notes there, but not too forward.
T: low on the rye flavor, wish there was more! But a solid malt punch, good.
M/F: medium body, hangs around the mouth for a bit and then falls out, making you go back for more. for 7.5% the alcohol is not there AT ALL and it is quite drinkable.

O: Tasty! Haven't been let down by any Blue Point beers thus far, I was just on Long Island, wish I could have made a trip out the brewery and checked 'em out.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 04:32:38 | More by Crimsonfloods

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Blue Point- Rasta Rye

A- Bright clear amber with a thick head and big ringed lacing.
S- very grainy malty. Bread crust, caramel, and fresh dough.
T- Big crusty malt, toffee, bitter woodsy pine hops, slight rye detected.
M- Sweet and grainy. Dry body with a slight hoppy bitter finish.

Overall- Very little rye here. Malty but needs more rye.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2009 22:42:21 | More by NJpadreFan

shand

Florida

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a nonic.

This brew is an absolute stunner in the glass. It pours a slightly hazy amber color, but the star of the show is the massivem fluffy head. It easily went over the top of my glass, leaves huge chunks of lacing, and the retention is better than any beer I've ever had. A full finger of head lasted two thirds of the way through my first pour, and I'm a slow drinker. Unfortunately, the aroma isn't quite as good as the brew itself is. The rye is up front for sure, but it's much sweeter than I typically like. There's some floral aspects for sure, but the sweet rye zestiness is overpowering, bordering on vomit-like.

Thankfully the taste fares better. It's still a touch sweet, but a solid rye beer. The alcohol is a bit more apparent than I'd like, but this is otherwise a nice mix of rye and floral hops. Not the best brew, but it's still pretty good. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied and fairly well carbonated, nothing out of the ordinary. The drinkability is fairly good for the ABV, but if it were less sweet I'm sure it'd fare better. A pretty good beer from Blue Point available at a low price. Might as well try it out, can't go wrong for the three or four bucks a bomber costs.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 02:36:01 | More by shand

SkunkWorks

New York

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on tap at the Bench Bar and Grill in Stony Brook, NY. Served in a pint glass.

Look: rich amber color, thin white head with decent retention and decent lacing.

Smell: light malty aroma with hints of hops. Not a whole lot going on here.

Taste: follows the nose in that there are hints of hops, some spiciness, a little maltiness and some hints of rye. Not a whole lot of complexity

Feel: medium bodied. Nicely carbonated. Alcohol is well hidden.

Drink: probably the high point of the beer. I guess the intent was to make a beer that is easily sessioned and this is a beer I could drink all night, in that its complex enough to where I enjoy it but not so complex as to tire out my palate.

Overall, not the best Blue Point beer and not the worst. Its worth a try but nothing to write home about. Its something you can drink if you want to have a night of drinking but not really something to drink if you want to sit and enjoy a beer and analyze the complexities of it. Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2010 02:23:08 | More by SkunkWorks

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This poured out as a golden color with a creamy tan colored head. The smell of the beer had a good spicy aroma to it and some light citrus in there as well. The taste of the beer was also a bit spicy but I liked it. The mouthfeel of this beer from the cask was a little flat and thin. I'm not sure if a cask was the right move for this brew. Overall I think it'd be better from the bottle but I still found it enjoyable.

Serving type: cask

07-21-2011 22:09:06 | More by Knapp85

Huffs

New York

3.45/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass which developed a nice head which lasted and laced through the dring. Aroma was mildly sweet, malty. Mouthfeel was medium to light with good carbonation. Taste was of a mild malty nature and nutty with hints of caramel. Aftertaste was mild and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 04:15:22 | More by Huffs