Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale - Blue Point Brewing Company

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

babaracas

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy dark orange with two fingers of white foam, settles to a thin layer leaving streaks of delicate lacing. Smell: sweet caramel, lightly bready, spicy, with some orange citrus. Taste: toffee and citrus thin out mid sip to leave you with a mouthful of rye bread. Moderate sweetness throughout with a sticky drying finish. Active carbonation is a little too active mid sip and washes the flavors away too quickly. Still a nice beer but nothing Id seek out.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2011 04:36:50 | More by babaracas

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle courtesy of JoeBeerBelly. Thanks Joe!

It pours a clear 24K gold with about a 1 finger head of foam and some nice lacing. The clarity of the beer is impressive.

Taking some whiffs, I get a lot of caramel malt with the rye and a touch of citrus hops. Very nice.

The taste is lightly sweet from the malt and rye, lightly bitter from the citrus hops which grows during the session pushing this more into the bitter than the sweet side but it's still got some good balance to it. Nice and tasty and the alcohol isn't all that noticeable.

Medium bodied, ditto for the carbonation, a good smooth mouthfeel with some good drinkability. I like.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2011 15:01:43 | More by Bitterbill

neobob187

Florida

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Pint Bottle.

A: The appearance is nice, a very deep amber color with reddish hues near the top. The head dissipated quickly but if you swirl the beer in your pint glass you get really nice lacing.

S: Not a lot going on with the nose. A good deal of Rye and a very faint piny hop.

T: This is where the beer got better for me. Absolutely refreshing. A good deal of citra hop bitterness and piny flavor. But it also has a nice coppery rye flavor too.

M: The lace that you can see from the glass definitely coats your tongue in a nice bitter hop flavor.

O: I really liked this beer, after writing my initial tasting notes, I finished the bottle with some BBQ Ribs and it was a perfect match for some spicy food. I recommend it!

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 21:03:17 | More by neobob187

joefuzz

New York

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had on tap and in bottle at company beer bar nyc I will be reviewing the bottle pour.

Pours a light copper with a small thin quickly dissipearing white head

Smells of caramel mollasses rye and hops

Tastes alot like it smells lots of sweet sugary flavors up front with a smooth hoppy rye finish

Mouthfeel seems a little thin for the style and pretty high on the carbonation

Drinkibility is pretty high for a 7.5% beer put down a few pints with no problems

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2011 13:08:38 | More by joefuzz

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on-tap into a pint glass, the beer looks like their Toaste Lager, with a deep copper coloring and a thin, sparse, off-white head. The beer's smell is sweet and woodsy. The flavors are light, sweet malt with toasted, smokey grain flavors carrying the load. Good, smooth body and flavor. Smooth, almost sweet, finish, with a slight whiskey aftertaste. Extremely tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

06-16-2011 02:38:25 | More by GarthDanielson

mooseisloose

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The word is getting around. I picked up this Bad Boys, Bad Boys, what ya gonna do bomber at a gas station. Imagine that. Let's give it a whirl. Popping the top I get a very heavy malt smell with molasses and some floral hopping. On the pour I get a bright orange bronze with a heavy thick head that stands firm and laces as it only very gradually recedes. On the taste this brew hits you first with the mouthfeel, as it is as thick as it smells. I think you could stand a spoon in it. The taste then hits, very balanced with a huge malt backbone and some tarty citrus underlying hop bitterness that stays steady throughout. Taste is very consistent throughout, sweet malts and bitter hoppiness with the finish being a little bit sweeter and with an earthy rye-like tone. This brew is nothing complex but hits right between the eyes. I will seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 00:19:18 | More by mooseisloose

DoubleSimcoe

New York

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Rastafa Rye, growler filled at Brew York City-Duane Reade, UWS-NYC, for $7.99

Appearance: Served in a chalice, the Rastafa comes looking a deep but slightly transparent copper, with a heady head (sorry) that includes lots of fluff and bubbles and leaves behind significant lacing. A good start!

Smell: Malts, that rye of course, wild unharvested cereal. A tad of citrus that brings it into IPA territory plus caramel sweetness at the end. Also, an interesting "acrid" (in a good way) smell, like soy sauce.

Taste: Spice, grass and pungent (but delicious) rye. Bready, caramel-y finish, with butterscotch and boiled sugar. Chestnut, dry fruit, an autumn-y brew in many ways. Grainy all around, I can't stop thinking this would go great with some bourbon/whiskey!

Mouthfeel: Could use more "oomph!", but it suits the brew alright as it is, with medium flavor and carbonation and medium-to-low body. As it warms up, the rye does kick nice. Dry, spicy finish.

Overall: Rating goes up here because, even if the nose and body of this beer are not outrageously stunning, it does make for a very enjoyable and drinkable beer. The alcohol is mostly well played and never overwhelming and -while this is no Hop Rod Rye- it makes for a fine, drinkable ale.

Serving type: growler

06-11-2011 03:33:53 | More by DoubleSimcoe

BlackBearForge

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rastafa Rye Ale pours a rich crystal clear golden amber with a monstrously huge foamy white head that takes it time to fall leaving copious amounts of lacing behind.

I pick up toasted rye and malt in the aroma with bready scents and grassy hops as well.

Nice flavor profile, the rye is definitely present with a bit of grainy bitterness and there is a bit of fruity sourness in the background as well. Lightly toasted malts remind me a bit of a Vienna Lager while hops do take the back seat. Nicely bitter overall with a bitter finish as well.

Mouthfeel is medium with a nice creaminess going on from the also ample carbonation.

Overall a pleasant and drinkable offering. I like the semi Vienna Lagerlike taste combined with the bitter rye while there is enough malt sweetness to keep things balanced as well.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 22:53:25 | More by BlackBearForge

cosmicevan

New York

3.48/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Swung bu the brewery to grab some swag for a BIF and figured I would sample a few. For a small pour showed up with a surprisingly frothy head. Color was deep amber and there was a subtle hop bite to the brew. Good balance and quite refreshing, the rye chills down the hops a lot making this 7+ abv dangerously drinkable. Smell was also rather timid. Carbonation was minimal and seemed a bit watery.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2011 21:00:57 | More by cosmicevan

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

cmq103

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My first rye beer, freshly tapped at home and poured into a Newcastle Brown Ale Schooner glass.

A: Beautiful reddish-orange translucent color, moderate cream color lacing that faded quickly, but clung gently to the glass as it emptied.

S: Sweet floral spicy hop aroma, reminding me somewhat of a Belgian IPA. This is one of those beers that you want to inhale deeply before each sip to truly appreciate its bouquet.

T: Initial malty flavor, followed by a mild floral hop bite, finishing with spicy, crisp sweet rye blast. Again, I would compare it to a fine Belgian IPA, with its temperate bitter finale.

M: Perfect carbonation, allowing all the different flavors to roll off the tongue as if in cadence with one another.

O: Very impressed for my first rye beer. You always gamble when committing yourself to a 1/6th keg based on ratings. That's why I turn to Beer Advocate before buying a beer for the first time. Very drinkable!! Hard to believe this is a 7.5% ABV beer. Another fine beer from Blue Point.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2011 01:13:30 | More by cmq103

raszputini

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a 22 for $3.33! Pours a medium copper with a bulky white head that dissipates very slowly. Taste is dominated by the rye and very strong floral hop finish. The hops are very present but not overwhelming. The fairly high ABV is not profane at all. I enjoyed this ale very much and as I write this and am halfway through the bottle, the head still hasn't dissipated. A very nice brew for bargain prices.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 22:35:19 | More by raszputini

Boitnott

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I sampled this at a tasting and picked up two 22 oz bottles because they were only $5 a piece. I saved them for a few days and then poured one into my DFH snifter. It pours excellent with about a small white head that persists and has excellent lacing. Overall color tone is deep copper with much transparency.

The scent combine sweet rye malt with floral hops, in which the former is the dominating scent. However it does not mask the smell of they rye, because the rye compliments the smell exceptionally. This smell translates well to the nose which tastes mostly of sweet rye malts and maybe some amber malt as well. Sweetness is not over powering. The finish expertly blends the rye with a floral hop finish that does not take over, but unites with the rye to create a near perfect unison of bitter and sweet.

The carbonation lasts throughout, and the small head does not die down. I hardly notice the 7.5% alcohol and the body is small to medium, leading to a brew that can be had over and over in a single night. With the excellent price I would highly recommend this for the rye lovers out there, as well as anyone else interested in this style. Excellent blend of hops and rye, and is a must try.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 04:17:52 | More by Boitnott

Brianjames16

New York

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pours a translucent bronze color with a bunch of carbonation bubbles. Nice off white two finger pillowy head.

S- Bready malts with a pine/flower like hop presence. Reminds me of an IPA with stronger malt characters.

T- Big bready taste from the malts with a descent bitter hop finish.

M- Light/medium body with good carbonation. Refreshing and crisp full flavored beer.

D- Drinkability is very good. Refreshing and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 00:22:11 | More by Brianjames16

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

ItsTheLimit

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into my awesome Dillinger Four "Doublewhiskeycokenoice" glass.

A.) Pours a nice orange-copper color with a pretty thick off-white head that sticks around forever. Pretty hazy with a TON of carbonation. Actually considerably more than I remember the last times I had this beer.

S.) As expected, rye and malt in the nose with some piney hops. More floral than I expected, but spicy as well. All-in-all this is a pretty complex, but totally pleasing, nose.

T.) I love this beer. Nice herbal hops and rye that's present, but not overpowering and too spicy, like some rye's tend to end up. Really well-balanced with a nice bitterness.

M.) Slightly over-carbonated, though it doesn't really detract from the beer's overall character. Could do with a little bit more in the body, but it's not necessarily worth complaining about.

D.) At 7.5%, this is as sessionable as any IPA with comparable abv. It's less hop-dominant and there's a little bit of something sweet left after the finish is gone that warrants another sip. This is a really good beer that I'll gladly drink on tap when it's available or in bottles.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2011 21:00:51 | More by ItsTheLimit

aepb1

Florida

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

on tap at Tipples Brews

A- Copper body with a foamy white head

S- Caramel malts, spices, sweet

T- Sweet caramel malts, spices again and quite a bit of rye/bready malts

M- Medium-bodied and smooth with moderate to low carbonation

D- Just above average, nothing great about this but nothing at all offensive either

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2011 17:25:59 | More by aepb1

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On Cask at Pizzeria Paradiso - Old Town, Alexandria, VA (3/2011):

The beer appeared a cloudy darker amber color, maybe more closely resembling a rust color, with a thin off-white, creamy head that was ultimately retained throughout the drink. Some lacing to note.

The beer gave off a lighter than expected, but still good rye aroma with hints of floral hops.

The beer, served warm, had the distinctive rye taste that the beer should have. Also were some light notes of floral and citrus hops, but I felt that the beer was really well balanced.

The beer had a medium feel to it. It was creamy, well-carbonated for a cask beer and very easy to drink. Overall, a good beer and one that I am glad that I had more than one of.

Serving type: cask

03-09-2011 16:28:22 | More by PhillyStyle

Isles0206

New York

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I was recently meandering a local gourmet market in Williamsburg, VA, and surprised to come across Blue Point. It's been a while since I've gotten back to LI, so I couldn't resist.

Bottle poured into Sam Adams perfect glass.

A: Clear, copper/dark amber body. Foamy and loose beige head upon pour with fair retention; persisted with a thin layer throughout tasting.

S: Mild malt, with hints of vanilla, fair hops.

T: Taste similar to smell, with hints of citrus and hickory thrown in. Hoppy upon contact, but goes down quite smooth--seems like the rye nicely compensates after swallowing and lingers.

M: Medium; nice carbonation throughout.

D: Very flavorful, moderately hoppy, without the strong bitterness. This beer goes down very smooth and I could easily down 2-3 bottles this evening. Overall, a nice spring/early summer beer--a perfect way to close out this mild late February day.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2011 02:49:08 | More by Isles0206

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear copper in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense white head that quickly died down but consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface.
S: The smell has a slight amount of spiciness from the rye and also has aromas of caramel malts.
T: The taste is very similar to the smell; the initial taste has some malty sweetness and this is followed by a slight amount of hop bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied, slightly creamy and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer goes down smoothly and is very easy to drink; I could easily have a few of these in one night.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 01:36:44 | More by metter98

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle of 'surprise', sent by Metalmonk. Poured to a couple pints and split over some deee-licious carnitas burritos from local place Las Sirenitas.

A: Mostly clean-looking amber brew. Starts with a light tan head, maybe a half-finger at best, then an awesome sheath of crackling lace.

S: VERY sweet aroma, loads of maltiness, sugars and caramel. Sure, I know there are hops here, BIG hops supposedly, but my sniffer gets little more than Graham crackers and honey. Whatever hops there are waft as light and flowery.

T: A little fruity, kinda apple and spice. Then spice continues, a rolling herbed and woody twang with an everpresent dark malt/bread backing. Kinda interesting, although not altogether exciting.

M: At best, a pleasant medium mouthfilling creamy-ish ale, one that grows slightly fuller with some warming.

D: Nothing at all 'wrong' with this, just a nice amber/rye with intertwined sweet and malty notes that cover well a 7.5% strength.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 03:30:16 | More by msubulldog25

Drew966

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale pours a copper color with an off white head from a brown twenty two ounce bottle. The aroma is hoppy. The flavor is a nice mix of hops and pale malt with a dry finish that rye seems to add to the mix. Enjoyable, definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 23:37:15 | More by Drew966

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this as part of my Fantasy Football haul from dondeez21, cheers Don!

Pours amber colored with3+ fingers of fluffy cream colored head. Above average lacing & very good head retention

S: Grassyness, lemons, & doughyness

T: Follows the nose, a nice peppery spiceyness as well up front. Doughyness, a slight honey malt flavor, then grassyness & peppery rye spiceyness. Finishes dry, grassy, with a bit of pine as well

MF: Medium bodied, subtle carbonation & good balance

This drinks very easy, I could see downing a few any time, compares favorably with Red's Rye IMO...

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2011 06:31:00 | More by russpowell

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

How does a bomber of 7.5% rye beer operated by a Long Island company "independently owned and operated with no corporate ties" end up in a small town grocery store in southern Virginia? I have no idea, but I'm not complaining. Maybe it's testament to the inroads that craft beer continues to make each and every year. I'll drink to that...

Pours a coppery orange-gold color, with a bountiful, firm, creamy, long-lasting head on top. Looks very double IPA, actually.

Smell isn't that far off either, as the hops are forward and floral. Rye's peculiar earthy edge isn't far away, and there's both a mildly medicinal and more aggressive herbal element in there as well. Grain and/or nut husk too.

Rye very much dominates the flavor, and though it is a very earthy, husky kind of flavor, somewhat aggressive, lightly spicy and a bit dry, it has some support from herbal/tea-like hops, a mild bit of mango-like sweet/spice, and an even smaller flare of alcohol warmth. Ultimately the rye, with its firm soil-like earthiness, remains at the forefront.

A bit tingly, full of very active carbonation. Also has a nice bit of airiness while feeling just slick and creamy enough to provide a well-rounded texture.

Rastafa Rye has a certain charm that kept me eager for each sip. Definitely enough stuff dancing around on the tongue -- from earthy to spicy to hoppy to nutty to sweet -- that you can't possibly regret trying it on for size.

[I suppose here is where I'm supposed to say "and I love reggae!" but I don't...can't stand it actually. But Rastafarianism doesn't necessarily count reggae as its official music genre either. Wanna know something else interesting? According to a credible source: "the Rastafarian lifestyle usually includes ritual use of marijuana, avoidance of alcohol, the wearing of one's hair in dreadlocks, and vegetarianism." Avoidance of alcohol? Is someone gonna tell Blue Point? Oopsie.]

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 23:18:28 | More by Metalmonk