Founders Reds Rye P.A.

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Specialty Grain
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

Appearance: Beautiful brick red/marmalade orange color. Mostly clear with slight haze and noticeably carbonated. Small, yellow, soap head is produced - but it retains well and laces quite nicely, too.

Smell: Pure tropical fruits in the nose here with massive grapefruit, tangerine and mango or guava. A lovely floral/perfume-like fragrance as well.

Taste: Hopped-up red ales seem to be the next IPAs as this is the third hoppy red I’ve had in as many months and they’ve all been along these lines. The difference with Red’s Rye PA is that, while it is indeed very bitter (70 IBUs according to the bottle), it’s not obnoxiously dry. Founders has managed to balance the hop bite with a juicy backbone. Their website indicates its brewed with four varieties of Belgian caramel malts, although there’s nothing particularly "Belgian" about this beer as a whole. It’s not the malts create for a noticably sweet palate, in my opinion, but that they keep the beer from being a one-dimensional hop bomb. The addition of rye is quite subtle and creates for just a hint of spice on the finish.

Mouthfeel: For such a hop-forward beer, Red’s Rye PA is quite gentle in the mouth. It doesn’t feel crisp or thick or sticky. Just a traditional medium-bodied ale texture and weight.

Drinkability: The hops linger and become a little bit drier with each swig, but never to the point of being obnoxious. The tropical fruit taste makes the beer actually quite refreshing despite its overtly bitter palate. This would pair very well with a hearty meal and the 6.6% ABV seems dead-on to me.

Overall, one of the best red ales I’ve had.

NOTE: Watch the video version of this review at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-lT3I6vOuk

Draught from BTiger. Maybe I just don’t like ryes. Poured more brown than crimson. Earthiness and dry hops.

Pours ruby red from bottle with a small head but it leaves behind a fair amount of lacing. Big floral hop aroma on the nose. The hops don’t fade on the tongue either. This is a beer that is meant to be Nursed.

Thin head, but oh my, look at those legs! Beautiful warm amber color. Nose has citrus/rind hops, touch of rye, and some fruity ale yeast. Rye forward with nice spicy hop finish. Some fruits and grains. Bitter and dry. Hey, okay! Big thanks to BigMMartin!

Nose full of malt and caramel, underneath is found some hppy tones of grape and lemon. It is clear with at fine and lasting head. the amber coulour matching the caramel in the nose. Sweetes and a light bitternes. Some malty tones and fresh hops. Medium soft and creamy body with some hop bitternes in the fexit.

I had this on tap into a tulip at the map room...A dark amber pour, nothing of note...The aroma is strong, lots of hop present with a light malt caramel backbone, a rye accent finish...the taste is mostly hoppy but in a good way, does not let the rye dominate or really present, hoppy throughout. Really nice feel, bitter, easy to drink.

Bottle from The Bottle Shop, Canterbury. Hazy red orange colour with lasting beige ehad. Piney resiny hop aroma. Very drinkable, very tasty, very well balanced beer. Love the slightly sweet slightly spicy malts. Love the big but balanced PNW hops. Just a tasty well put together beer. yep I like this and would happily drink this again.

The aroma is off da hizzok. Rye, citrus, pine mmmm. It poured a deep copper color. The flavor has some rye but alot of citrus like orange peel and a good malt backbone. Overall dis is kickin it