O'Ryely IPA - Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

kjritt

Colorado

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

served from a bottle into a glass.

a. darker than a lot of ipas i have had. red almost to brown and clear. two fingers of head with an aggressive pour and damn good lacing. a very attractive, but unusually dark, ipa.

s. the weakest part of this beer. not the same hop aroma of many ipas but maltier than others. a somewhat reflection of the taste as well.

t. a real doosey. bitter on the tip of the tongue and finishes very smooth with some bitter aftertaste. the dark malt is very interesting and one which is usually lacking in others. an ipa unlike most others. very enjoyable.

m. spritely on the tongue and stimulates all areas of the mouth.

o. another strong brew from widmer brothers. the only reason i do not have it rated above 3.5 overall is because of the superior brews of racer 5 and lagunitas ipa. ipas are tough competetion.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2012 00:50:27 | More by kjritt

hopwave

Washington

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz. Bottle poured into my large Duvel goblet... pours a bright amber/orange colour with a thin white head.

Smell is straight up blood orange... Very nice.

Taste follows the nose again, blood orange... No rye... A little strange... Reminds me a bit of V8 Fusion.

Overall a nice IPA worth picing up a Sixer if you see it around.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2012 03:14:17 | More by hopwave

womencantsail

California

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Rather dark for an IPA; a dark shade of amber with an off-white head. Spicy hops and rye with some citrus notes. Grapefruit and orange peel with a hint of pine. Sweet caramel malt in there as well. The flavor is a bit sweeter/maltier than I'd like. Quite a bit of rye character to it. Spicy hops and rye with bitter pine and a bit of orange peel and grapefruit on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 06:03:58 | More by womencantsail

BucannonXC5

California

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Color was caramel amber. Had about ½ inch of head. Some circular lacing on the top. Healthy amount of sporadic film on the sides.

Lots of citrus hops up front on the smell. Grapefruit, tangerine and orange seemed to be the main notes.

Grapefruits just dominated the initial taste. Nothing but citrus in the taste. Tangerine and oranges still hanging on, but it was so much like a more potent grapefruit juice.

Light body. Thin texture. Average-to-lively (moderate) carbonation. Bitter, fruity finish.

A decent beer, but just a bit too grapefruitish for me. Nice to try, though.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 04:25:49 | More by BucannonXC5

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottled date of 4 Oct 11

Pours an effervescent caramel with 3+ fingers of cream colored head. Stellar lacing & average head retention

S: Peppery & lemony hops

T: Orange peel, piney & woody hops, a touch of peppery rye & a touch of grainyness up front. More peppery rye notes as this warms, a touch of green apple & caramel too. Finishes dry, crisp with a hint of caramel, grassy hops & apple skin, almost pulled a 4.0, a little boozeyness at the end didn't help the cause

MF: Medium bodied, subtle carbonation, pretty nice balance

Drinks pretty easy, not bad at all despite this being over 5 months old. The rye is fairly dominant, would like to try fresher just to see how the hops presented when younger, the perils of waiting for beers to move to the mixer sixer aisle..

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 22:04:27 | More by russpowell

Bung

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz. Light amber pour, maybe a finger of white head.

Aroma, Avery green piney aroma. This is 5 months old and still not bad. Don't get much of the rye.

Taste, A little more malt and toffee here. Also the rye spice is here. Finishes with herbal pine and pretty dry. Also some citrus zest.

To the right of light bodied, a nice carbonation tickles. Has a bit if that rye imparted creaminess as well. Drinks just fine.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 01:19:08 | More by Bung

yamar68

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear pumpkin gold with a finger or two off starch white head. Pretty good lacing and minimal beading.

Subtle earthy bits, rye... some wholesome, subdued citrus. Already this is far more appealing than the spiced IPA.

Some soft grapefruit pulls ahead on the tongue. Pretty tame, but still agreeable. Malts make a comfortable appearance that doesn't overwhelm the rest of the beer.

The feel is relatively thin, which boosts drinkability - perhaps the forte of this beer.

Not great, but good.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 04:53:36 | More by yamar68

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a amberish color with a small white head. Smells of dark rye and floral hops. Tastes very bitter, but with a nice darker malt taste. Goes down nicely with a great finish for a light/medium bodied beer. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 02:17:42 | More by cyclonece09

UCLABrewN84

California

3.54/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 12/19/12.

Pours a clear dark orange with a foamy beige head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Thin rings of lace of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, rye, citrus fruit, and earthy hop aromas. Taste is much the same with spicy rye and herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a medium amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with a spicy presence from the interaction of the rye and hops used.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 02:09:07 | More by UCLABrewN84

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle ... tannish head ... good lacing ... the brew is crystal clear amber.

Nose shows plenty of fruity hoppiness ... something that I associate with pink bubblegum ...

Flavor has nice bitter bite up front ... quickly a toasty bready quality emerges ... fruity hop flavor, melon, citrus, pineapple?

Good body and carbonation for the style.

I will pick this one up again.

4/3.5/3.5/3.5/3.5

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 02:11:41 | More by JohnGalt1

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Widmer Brothers Rotator IPA Series, Profile: "O'Ryely IPA". "A wry take on IPA. Rye spiciness, distinctly hopped."

Clear, dark amber coloring, off-white cloud of foam. Looks nice.

Aroma: spicy, bready malt notes, herbal/mineral, tropical fruits. Fruit salad on rye bread, heavy on the rye. Hops are kind of hidden, but they're there.

Taste: Hop bitterness starts it off, warm, even hot, matched well with spicy malt. A friendly tug of war. Here's a little bitter, here's a bit of spicy/ sweet (small on the sweet). Toasty. Certainly unlike anything you'd expect from an IPA. In fact, I wouldn't call this an IPA, if they hadn't already established it as one. I'd be hard pressed to categorize it, and since I don't have to, I won't. But they did.

However, to really call it an IPA, I've got to be able to feel the hops more than the malt. For an IPA, the hop presence is rather mild.

Other than that, I like it. Drinks down nice and easy, provides plenty of pleasure. Decent sessioner. Good for that. And that is all.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2012 09:19:26 | More by feloniousmonk

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.53/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from bottle into a pint glass

Appearance –Pours a deep amber color with a thick and persistent just off white head. The head lingers on for quite some time fading slowly to leave a great level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is very light. It consists of a bit of bready smells mixed with some caramel and a lighter hop smell.

Taste – The taste begins of rye bread with notes of caramel sweetness. Some citrus grapefruit hop is present up front, which ends up getting stronger as the taste moves on further. An earthy bitter flavor also comes to the tongue more toward the middle of the taste. These hops remains till the end where a smooth rye and citrus/earthy bitter flavor is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is a little on the thicker and more syrupy side with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. Both are pretty nice for the bready flavors of the brew as well as for giving all the hoppy flavors a chance to be sensed well by the tongue.

Overall – A pretty easy to drink IPA. A nice blend of rye and hop (although a slightly more hopped taste up front and at the end may have been slightly more appeasing to the rye flavor).

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 02:21:31 | More by Darkmagus82

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle with a bottled date of Oct 04 11. Pours a crystal clear copper color with a large, fluffy off-white head. Nice retention and lacing.

Nose is juicy, citric and tropical hops with a bready, biscuity grain aroma. Rye is not really all that noticeable, as the malt base smells very similar to most of the other Rotator offerings.

Theres the rye...zesty and bready on the flavor. Plenty of hops are there, from flavoring through to the bitterness. Not sweet at all and the lighter body shows it. Rye gives this one a little more balance than the other IPAs in this series, guess it depends on your preference whether that is a good thing or bad. For me, I think Id like to see a little touch of honey-sweetness and more flavoring hops. But overall this is another nice addition to the lineup, and showcases the rye pretty well. I think the Falconer's is still my favorite though.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 23:50:40 | More by twiggamortis420

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into half glass. Pours translucent copper with a moderate, frothy tan head along with decent lacing that lasts throughout. Aroma is spicy rye notes, spicy hops, earthy hops and light floral notes. Taste is caramel and sweet malt blurred between spicy hops, rye notes, floral hops and pine. Medium bodied with a creamy carbonation, lingering bitterness and slight oily feel. Ends with more spicy hops, earthy notes, floral hops, rye, caramel, chewy malt and pine. I wouldn't go for this one again.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 17:40:12 | More by CuriousMonk

LittleDon

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Dec 05 12 bottling date. Clear copper with a decent head and good lacing. Malty aroma, fruit. Caramel, earthy, a bit of alcohol. Rye shows up in the finish. Medium body and low-medium carbonation. Would have expected more hops, but could be age related.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 22:25:32 | More by LittleDon

Brad007

Vermont

3.49/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I love IPAs infused with rye.

Pours a dark gold with a huge frothy head into my glass. Great way to start things off!

Spicy rye and freshly-cut grass stand out in the nose. Hoppiness is balanced and not off the charts.

Ditto for the taste. Spicy rye and grassy hops work well upfront. Chewy. Flavorful.

Lingering spicy rye notes and grassy hop notes make up the mouthfeel. It meshes well with the spicy dish I'm enjoying.

Hop aroma could have been stronger but otherwise, this is an excellent beer for the spring.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 22:47:16 | More by Brad007

MasterSki

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chris (spycow) for indulging my curiosity with this one. Served in a Cigar City snifter. Dated October 31st, 2011.

A - A quarter-finger of white foam settles to a thin skim cap, some big-bubbled patches, medium collar, and spotty lacing. Transparent golden body with a few streams of tiny bubbles.

S - Yep, it's a RyePA. Plenty of rye malt mingles with sugar cookie, and perhaps a light touch of earthy and fruity hops. It has been nearly 3 months since this was bottled so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's mostly malt at this stage.

T - Taste is again rye-forward, with some light tropical fruit sweetness, as well as a shot of sugary and bready malts. But yeah, mostly rye flavor and some mild hop bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium body, lower carbonation, chewy and very dry. No alcohol presence is detectable.

D - Perhaps this was better back in November when it was fresh, but it's currently a fairly middling rye beer with a mild hop presence. I woudn't bother with this again unless it was right off the truck.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 07:33:15 | More by MasterSki

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.48/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

P: Clear copper body with decent rushing bubbles and no head at all. 

S:  Good rye bread aroma with sweet toasted malts.  Biscuity, grapefruit, timid citrus notes, floral and fruity. 

T/M:  Grains, slightly spicy with a rye bread background. Carbonation is nice and the body is medium.  Finish is dry with floral bitterness and a touch of grapefruit.  

O:  A decent IPA that has a good rue flavor but not overly impressive. A easy drinking beer that is good but not a favorite. Wider delivered a solid offering.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2012 17:03:17 | More by Hopswagger

ExtraStout

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This selection is in the Widmer Brothers Rotator Series. The beer pours a nice, hazy orange/amber into a pint. The head is small and off-white. Low carbonation.

Rye and lemon rind lead off the smell, a nice floral prefume at the finish. Floral hops, fresh cut grass and lemon start the taste. The rye spice shows up around the middle, not as noticable as the smell.

Very dry, balanced, but the malt profile is slight and in the background. Very smooth going down, a little watery.

A better offering than their Drifter IPA.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 02:52:19 | More by ExtraStout

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.45/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Moderate orange and darker orange color bordering on light brown, pretty dark for an ipa, nice small 1/2" head on top, mostly white. Aroma was mostly bitter, for being a nelson sauvin hopped beer, this one is either old, or just not as impressive as their other nelson beers, like 'nelson' or drifter.

Malt bill also heavier than expected, seems to be rye, but just really disappointed that all the hops seem to impart is just bitterness, that is not usually how Widmer does things. Its decent and all, but with Sierra Nevada making a (better, cheaper) rye ipa, this one will have a hard time finding its niche, which I guess is maltier, bitter, less hop mouthfeel rye ipa. . . which I don't know how popular that would be.

Probably better named a rye ale. Hops just aren't there to be a west coast ipa. Not going to bump FiftyFifty, Sierra Nevada or Bear Republic's rye offerings from the top tier anytime soon, but its also good enough that I would repeat another purchase if I saw it fresh and for $8 a 6er.

EDIT: Geez, these things are so all over the place, bought another 6 pack, was less than 30 days old, something we rarely see in my neck of the woods, why not take another chance. 4 were good, 1 was bad, 1 was just off, but not bad, not good. I'm telling you, its not me, I have no idea what the deal is. My score is an average of about 12 bottles of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 23:44:54 | More by Beerandraiderfan

HalfFull

California

3.35/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a 12 oz. bottle of this seasonal and poured into a pint glass. Pours a deep golden/light orange with a firm pour and offers a one finger slightly off white cap. Moderate retention and lacing.

Citric hops on the nose are dominant and decent. Touch of pine as well. Rye notes are absent.

Pleasant flavor and with a touch of spice and bittermess vs. the X114 which this seems to be a slight derivative of. Bit more bready and with a whole grain spicy depth to it, but otherwise exhibiting similar citric malt notes and with a bit more of a lightly harsh bitter character. particularly with a bit of warming.

Still a bit sweet on the tongue and with a viscous feel. Pleasant though a bit too candied in sweetness, and with a rather unilateral approach of hops. Bitterness is present though light. A seqeue IPA. Or more accurately, a citrusy APA.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 05:41:26 | More by HalfFull

vkv822

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle intp tulip pint.
bottled in November. . .

Pours a clear orange-brown with a thin, foamy off white head.

Despite the age it still possesses a pleasant fruity, citric and piney hop character.

Less hops in the taste, and more of a balance with caramel malts and a light rye spiciness.

A medium to full body, with average carbonatin.

A nice IPA, enjoyable hop character with a pleasant caramel malt balance. Also glad the rye is able to come through a bit.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 09:41:02 | More by vkv822

N3rdM3t4l

Oregon

3.28/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Bomber into standard pint.

A: pretty normal pour gets minimal head and it formed a very thin cap. Looks like the lacing might be alright though. Good reddish amber color, rye does not lie. Quite clear also.

S: yet another citrusy slightly grassy hop armoa heavy IPA. I must live in Oregon or something. A slightly sweet note on the nose and a bit of spice although very faint. The citrus leans toward orange in this one moreso than grapefruit like in most NWIPA.

T: He hops aren't as overbearing as on the nose, much more balanced than it smells. Starts with wash of flavor that matches the nose. But finishes with a bit more of thsat spice. Surprisingly clean finish on this. Normally I like a little lingering but the crispness does well to keep the heavy hopping at bay. What little lingering flavor there is, is slightly sweet and ever so slightly hopped. Pleasant.

M: the body is as expected. A little heavier than a pale ale but still nothing to make you reach for a spon. Minimal carbonation explains the lack of head and maybe the thickness. A few more bubbles would lighten it up into a sessionable summer brew.

O: good IPA, not amazing but by no means bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 03:43:45 | More by N3rdM3t4l

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

With a plethora of beers utilizing the often disregarded rye grain, many of the best complement of its use is with highly hopped beers. Widmer Bros. puts hops on display but also with the sweet and spicy support to give a uniqueness to their roggen-influenced ale.

Pouring a very bright, yet deep amber color- the beer shows great clarity and an almost bronze hue. Carbonation is pulled from the bottom of the glass to build a creamy off white head of moderate structure, formidable staying power, and sticky lace upon the glass. A classy look throughout.

Sweet molasses, brown sugar, and savory bread crust flavor and aroma from malt share the stage and work toward providing a firm base to support hops and earthy rye spice. Sweetness is balanced by citursy American hops that provide flavors of white grapefruit, orange peel, and mild pine resin especially as the beer develops it's spicy bitterness heading into finish. The sweetness is also accompanied by the flavor of rye that carries a mild tobacco-like flavor. But as the beer's sweetness evades and the bitterness sets in, the earthiness turns spicy in a mild peppery, grassy, and earthy taste similar to English hops.

Medium bodied throughout, the beer starts with a creamy sweetness of carbonation and unresolved sweetness. As the beer develops, any transition to dryness and fleeting maltiness is hindered by the barley sweetness and milder hopping rates. Still a mildly dry finish is provided by the supple warmth of alcohol.

O'Ryely IPA is a more balanced IPA, in a style where hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness should dominate, and accented by rye earthy spice. The one-dimensional and lingering sweetness along with the timid hopping rates restrict the base beer and prevent the earthy rye spice to add the complexities that are intended. Still, a tasty beer that's sure to appease many a beer lover.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2012 16:55:29 | More by BEERchitect

TheSixthRing

California

3.2/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours a fairly clear, golden straw with a slight orange hue. The white head is a little over a finger width, dissipates fairly quick, and leaves behind a decent, semi-sticky lacing.

Smell - Hops galore - pine with a bit of citrus, backed by a faint peppery rye character. Malts come through subtly as sweet caramel and bread.

Taste - Piney hops. Stale bread. Faint rye peppery spice in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium body. Decent carbonation.

Overall - Better than the last time I had it, but I'm still not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 03:59:36 | More by TheSixthRing