Rock Bottom Chicago Belgian Rye P.A.

Wow. This is one smooth brew w/ a huge hop presence. The most drinkable, hoppy brew to date. Like a cream ale and a IIPA combo.

Served in the heavy Rock Bottom goblet, I sneaked in for the tapping on Valentine’s Day and was able to make a second trip the next day. Pours an opaque orange color with a off white head. The aroma is a little overpowering but it smells of delicious fruit and some bubblegum. The hops definitely stood out and the beer was bitter, but I love it that way. I thought it was well balanced and incredibly enjoyable. I hope it does well at the World Beer Cup.

Delicious combo of some of my favorite beer styles! dark belgian fruit flavors with lots of hoppy citrus flavors and spicy bitterness of rye - awesome - better than other rye p.a. beers I’ve had - except maybe Red’s Rye (gotta try it again) - but not as good as Chouffe Tripel IPA

Yellow orange color with relatively thin off white head. Smells grassy and hoppy. Tastes like a belgian IPA. Can taste some of the rye malt. Really good.

on tap at RB Chicago. pours hazy brownish orange with off white head. nose has some dry red fruits, yeasty spice, candy sugar, and bubblegum. flavor is earthy and dry, extremely dry really and at first it surprised me and i wasnt digging it. it did grow on me. some mild bubblegum and fruit hop notes while the hops mainly add earthy bitterness that finishes extremely dry. some sweetness could have balanced this a bit more but it was still pretty tasty and a surprising RB Chicago offering. 3.7.

1/14/09, a few pours of this the late ’08 vintage and wow i’m digging this a lot, very dry, bitter, herbal hop aroma and flavor, yeasty with a touch of rye. just an awesome brew! 4.0.

[draught @ RB Chicago] Moderately hazy orange/amber color. Very aromatic- peach, citrus, orange peel. Excellent spicy rye character, which seems to blend well with the powerful hop bitterness. Strong yeast character. Very nice lingering bitterness and a substantial alcohol warmth towards the very end. Very good stuff.

Draught. Okay, here we go: an IPA made with a significant amount of rye and a Belgian yeast. I’m not sure what to expect. I receive a cloudy, light copper beer with a sizable off-white head. Grapefruit is strong in the aroma along with plenty of yeasty qualities like banana, clove. The palate is sticky in a very good way. I was actually expecting something a little hoppier, but this definitely has assertive grapefruit/various citrus character that highlights the sweet banana and spiced notes. The whole thing comes together with a pleasantly mild tart, bready note. This is a very unique beer and very well done. The balance and depth are commendable

Beer #22 at GTMW ’09. Beautifully cloudy, golden yellow. Smell is pretty catty, probably Amarillo hops. I like that smell, though. Pretty much tastes like an IPA all the way, just a little bit of Belgian sweetness and rye spice. Slightly higher than normal alcohol taste. Carbonation matches just right to deliver maximum bitterness.