100 Barrel Series #23 - Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall

100 Barrel Series #23 - Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale100 Barrel Series #23 - Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale
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From:
Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Rye Beer
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.79 | pDev: 9.23%
Reviews:
95
Ratings:
106
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 25, 2016
Added:
May 17, 2008
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  1
For the 23rd installment of the 100 Barrel Series, we invited Russ back to brew a Harpoon beer once again. Don’t worry, not in a bathtub this time. Old Rusty’s Red Rye Ale features a reddish hue and a biscuit flavor complemented with spicy rye notes. This well-balanced and drinkable ale has an aroma profile that is a combination of subtle fruit esters and clean, fresh German Hallertauer hops.

38 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of kw_pip
Rated by kw_pip from Vermont

4.12/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
smells of stale peanuts
Jul 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Zylod from West Virginia

Apr 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Sep 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by swierczt from Connecticut

Sep 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by jongullotti from Massachusetts

Feb 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Tyrawlings from Ohio

Feb 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by mbs11 from Massachusetts

Jan 14, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by bonbini26 from New Jersey

Jan 12, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Rochefort10nh from New Hampshire

Dec 06, 2011
 
Rated: 3.25 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 01, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by akinsja from Tennessee

Nov 29, 2011
Photo of mikereaser
Reviewed by mikereaser from Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
A - Pours a muddy reddish orange with an inch of soapy bubbles that quickly fade.
S - aroma is very sweet mixed with some spiciness along with some leftover citrusy hops
T - a bit thin on flavor, the malt backbone is somewhat present along with a bit of rye spiciness, a bit of citrus hops rounds this one out to a very underwhelming flavor
M - age probably has hurt this one a bit, the carbonation is still there but lacking a bit, light to medium bodied
D - I really don't think that the flavor would have been there even if this was fresh. Its very thin all around.
Oct 28, 2011
Photo of kegger22
Reviewed by kegger22 from Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Harpoon Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale 100 Barrel Series #23 was amber colored with a two finger beige head and good retention.

The aroma was hop citrus and more than a bit of malty sweet.

The taste is somewhat muted, all that the aroma promised plus rye bread, but all just a shadow of what they could be.

The mouth feel was light bodied and moderately carbonated.

Drinkability was good, nothing really stood in the way of having another.

I know, a light, quenching beer has its place; but not in a specially packaged, limited edition beer. Sorry, Old Rusty wants to run with the big dogs but better stay on the porch.
Mar 02, 2010
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a fairly clear amber, with several giant fingers of off-white head. Retains with a big creamy dollop of foam in the midddle of glass, leaving a huge sticky latticework of lace behind. The aroma has some definite bread and spice going on with it, along with a bit of zesty lemon citrus and some floral hop character.

The taste matches, with bread, spice, and some light caramel accents and citrus flavor adding some sweetness to this. There is some moderate earthy bitterness to this that fortunately doesn't seem overly faded considering that this is an older bottle. Finishes with a lot of dryness and residual tang from the rye. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a very easy and gentle creaminess to it that really helps out with the drinkibility here (especially for a nearly 7% beer).

An OK little rye beer here, that while not bringing an absolute ton of its namesake to the table, still brought enough to nicely compliment that super creamy body. This was a decent entry in the 100 Barrel Series.
Jan 28, 2010
Photo of FutureCowboy
Reviewed by FutureCowboy from South Carolina

2.88/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bomber into a chilled imperial pint.

A: Burnt orange, hazy pour. Not much head to speak of.

S: Big malt nose. Maybe some muted fruits in there. Not much hops, and frankly not much rye to speak of.

T: Again, malt, maybe some date/raisin flavors. Feels a little off-balance, on the malty side, but I think I was expecting somewhat of a hop bite. Is there rye in here?

M: Nice ale feel, again nothing particular oustanding.

D: Sure, it's drinkable. But, frankly, disappointing.
Jan 23, 2010
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the bomber at room temperature into the pint glass, this shows a hazy, orange-amber colored brew with a fair off-white head and good lacing. The aroma brings caramel malt and peachy herbal hops, with a sour milk background. The flavor offers butterscotch and tart orange/herbal hop dryness. I definitely sense the rye but it blends right into the malty, caramel citrus dominance. I would call this medium-light bodied, grainy and plenty drinakable. Very satisfying.
Dec 10, 2009
Photo of HopHobo
Reviewed by HopHobo from Michigan

4.22/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I enjoyed this beer with a couple of friends on 11/7/09.

I poured an 8 oz. sample into an oversized wine glass.

Beer pours a dark ruby color with a 1 1/2 finger head and relatively good lacing. The smell reminds me of a barleywine that could use some age, but has nice complexity. Smell sweet and boozey with notes of plums, raisin and figs. The sweetness is complimented by a nice biscut malty smell. THe taste was completely different from the smell for me. Where the smell is very sweet the taste is dry and thinned out. It actually turns much more into a sessionable red ale here for me as the rye does not come through as strong as I expected. All and All itnot under complex in the moputh, but compared to how sweet and complex the nose is the taste leaves me a biut underwhelmed. That being said it's a very nice red ale and something I would surely enough smelling and tasting any evening.
Nov 09, 2009
Photo of ckeegan04
Reviewed by ckeegan04 from Texas

3.54/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A - Brownish red with a foamy dirty white head. Thick lace left on the glass. Very clear.

S - Light toasty bread aroma with a fiant hint of spice. Certianly not as much rye as I was hoping for out of a "rye" beer. Underlying fruitiness as well.

T - Malty sweetness up front with some bready tastes coming through. Light spiciness and a touch of chalkiness. Faint fruit tastes underneath.

M/D - Medium bodied and a light chalkiness left behind. Very light bitterness. Easy drinking. Not as much rye as I was hoping for.
Oct 27, 2009
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Old Rusty's Red is bright ferric oxide orange, which is an appropriate hue. There's a wide band of polished gold along the bottom edge of the pint glass and a good-sized crown of orangish beige foam occupying the upper third. The bubbly, lumpybumpy head and loads of lace do nothing but help the appearance score.

The nose is strangely underpowered (note: warming helps). It's hard to appreciate much rye malt and the Hallertau hops don't make much of an olfactory splash either. The best beers of this style (or at least my favorites) use citrus fruity American hops rather than German varieties.

This is a decent American red ale. Notice that I didn't say 'rye ale', because that grain still isn't very prominent. Again, time and warming bring out a little more of the earthy, spicy, bready personality that the brewer was probably shooting for. Of course, the hops could be responsible for some of that spiciness.

The malt component is toasted nutty, with a light drizzle of caramel, and has just enough rye character to get by. It's too bad that something like Simcoe or Amarillo wasn't used, because they would have added a much needed flavor hook. Sweetness and bitterness are pretty evenly matched, which aids drinkability.

The body/mouthfeel is almost... almost... not quite good enough to be considered good. If it was a little bit bigger, a little bit smoother or a little bit creamier, it would have impressed a little bit more. Laid-back carbonation is fine and dandy.

The world's best red rye ale (Founders Red's Rye) shouldn't be the least bit worried about Harpoon Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale. Given a price tag of $6.99, this 100 Barrel Series beer doesn't quite deserve a recommendation. That said, I'm not sorry that I gave it a home.
Aug 23, 2009
Photo of allergictomacros
Reviewed by allergictomacros from Canada (ON)

4.2/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Clear copper with a sturdy off-white foam.

S - Grapefruit hop, tropical fruit and maltiness. A bit of a (rye?) twang and hints of caramel and cake.

T - A bit drier than I expected. Good malty body and a spicy edge. Some grapefruit and a medium bitter finish. Slight acidity and a licorice and caramel come through.

M - Moderate body has a bit of slickness. Medium carbonation.

D - Pretty drinkable and well balanced.
Aug 07, 2009
100 Barrel Series #23 - Old Rusty's Red Rye Ale from Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 106 ratings