New Belgium RyePA

It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago, a beer like New Belgium’s new “RyePA” would have been some kind of great novelty. The concept of combining rye (or really using significant amounts of rye in general) with an American IPA was one that came out of left field a few years back, but was immediately accepted as if it had always been there. It’s easy to see why—the spicy character of rye often makes a spectacular counterpoint to the citrus and pine found so often in American hops. Once people started brewing these beers the secret was out—rye and American hops make great bedfellows.

In reality, so many rye pale ales and IPAs have been cranked out since then that it’s easy for seasoned craft beer geeks to dismiss another new one as derivative before even tasting it. Especially when it’s coming from one of the larger national craft brewers such as New Belgium, you might expect that new product to be a skippable offering. But here’s some advice: Don’t skip this one.

This new rye IPA is alive in the glass with a very piney, hop-forward aroma full of West Coast IPA character. There’s some of that spice you associate with fresh rye bread and a range of fruity notes as well. Citrus is strongly present, but interestingly, that citrus note is closer to lime than it is orange or lemon. It’s a familiar nose that still has a unique element to it.