Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger IPA

Great Lakes Brewing Co.   Cleveland, OH

Notes:

Rye I.P.A.

12oz Bottle

7.5% ABV

Off the bottle:

Like tigers creeping through tall grass, hop heads will stalk this majestic golden brew, rising to the challenge of its bold flavor attack.  Full-bodied and loaded with hops, our Rye of the Tiger IPA is brewed with rye malt, adding a spicy complexity to every sip.  It’s an ale meant to inspire feats of strength and skill, a worthy contender in the bout against the flavorless.  If you can step into the ring with this hopped-up cat, you’ve earned your stripes.

Appearance:  Pours a creamy golden color…fairly transparent, I can see sediment floating about and only a couple bubbles bubblin’ up…head is just off white and relatively thin, about a pinky in width at it’s heartiest...after a bit of time, it loses a little life…(3.75/5)

Smell:  Piney hops up front with tons of bite…rye malts are very apparent and also bring a peppery bite that adds to the overall…tons of hops bitterness, mild citrus, tropical & floral notes in there bringing a freshness and zestiness that keep the aroma perky and lively…some earthiness and a touch of toffee too…very well balanced, fresh and inviting…loving the rye malts! (4/5)

Taste:  Yum! Tons of flavor and bite…comes in very balanced with piney, biting bitterness and smooth, but biting rye malts…some citrus and mildly tropical hops come in after the initial blast, lightening things up a bit but still piling on the flavor…malts are light and other than the rye bite, play mostly a background role…this brew is very bitter, strong in flavor and fantastic! (4.25/5)

Mouthfeel:  Medium body with medium carbonation…fluffs up bringing tons of piney biting and mild lemon peel bitterness to the palate…mildly creamy, mildly robust, mildly chewy…finishes wet and leaves tons of earthy/piney bitterness to chew on in the after taste…(3.75/5)

Overall:  This is a solid brew…Great Lakes makes some fantastic ales and this one is arguably my favorite of theirs…I’ve been loving the rye malts lately and RotT has it in spades, tones of bite and flavor…hop heads will love the bitterness, it’s reminiscent of Palate Wrecker by Green Flash but what takes it to another level is the rye…I’m shocked to see it’s 7.5% ABV, I don’t feel it yet, but that would limit how many I’d be able to drink in one sitting…some brews are worth sticking in a mix-a-six and some are worth shelling out $10 for six of their own…this is one of those sixer worthy brews…if you see this seasonal ale in stores right now, pick some up and enjoy…if you are new to the rye malts, this is an awesome first step…(4.25/5)

Score:

(4.02/5)