Beer Table: Rye Ale

Rye Ale
	Win	Loss	Draw	Points
Founders Red’s Rye	2	0	0	7
Terrapin Rye Pale Ale	1	1	0	3
Terrapin Rye²	0	2	0	0

Head to Head: Founders Red’s Rye vs. Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Beers brewed with Rye. The first is the Founders Reds Rye from Michigan. The second is the Terrapin Rye Pale Ale from Georgia.

This tasting was done blind but is not to style. Why you ask? Well these beers are all different styles but they share one major characteristic, they all are brewed with rye. So lets see which is the best beer and what if anything the rye contributes.

Price: Winner – Unsure

Red’s – ?? (this was brought to me from a friend in Ohio)

Terrapin – $9.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Appearance: Winner – Red’s with a beautiful head

Red’s – The beer pours a orange-red color with a large frothy off-white head. The head leaves a nice lace as it recedes.

Terrapin – The average size white head sits atop a yellowish-amber beer. The Head leaves a very thick lace.

Aroma: Winner – Terrapin

Red’s – The aroma is full of hops with some notes of resin and a touch of allspice. There is a bit of rye in the aroma but less than the other beer.

Terrapin – The aroma has notes of straw, flowers a bit of orange and a hint of rye. Quite a bit going on here and it all meshes really well

Taste: Winner – Red’s

Red’s – Has some full on hop bitterness from start to finish. It does have a bit of rye and sweetness but there is little doubt that the hops dominate although they never overpower.

Terrapin – This has a nice drinkable taste. It is ulikely to offend. It has a light bitterness to start but you can definitely taste the rye as the sweetness develops.

Body/Finish: Winner – Red’s

Red’s – The beer has a medium body with a long dry finish with lots of good hop bitterness.

Terrapin – The light body still manages to produce a reasonale finish and some bitterness.

Overall: Winner – Red’s
What does this tell us about using Rye in beer. Not a lot. Both of these beers have plenty to offer. The Terrapin has a very drinkable flavor with just enough rye to make it stand out from beers of a similar style that do not use Rye (check out how it did in the American Pale Ale H2H’s). But when both beers have rye like here the Red’s Rye just has so much more flavor. It may be a bit to hoppy for some but I think there is enough sweetness and rye to really create a great beer. So if you are bored of the usual grains give a Rye a chance especially the Founders Red’s Rye.

Head to Head: Terrapin Rye² vs. Founders Red’s Rye

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Beers brewed with Rye. The first is the Terrapin Rye² from Georgia. The second is the Founders Reds Rye from Michigan.

This tasting was done blind but is not to style. Why you ask? Well these beers are all different styles but they share one major characteristic, they all are brewed with rye. So lets see which is the best beer and what if anything the rye contributes.

Price: Winner – Unsure

Rye² – $2.99 (12 0z bottle)

Red’s – ?? (this was brought to me from a friend in Ohio)

Appearance: Winner – Red’s

Rye² – This has a nice amber color topped with a reasonable but long lasting off-white head which leaves a good lace on the glass.

Red’s – The beer pours a very attractive orange-red color. The head is large, frothy and off-white head. The head leaves a nice lace as it recedes.

Aroma: Winner – Red’s

Rye² - This has lots of sweetness and some alcohol in the aroma. There is a bit of dark rye bread also.

Red’s – The aroma is loaded with hops. Some notes of resin and a touch of allspice also make an appearance. There is a bit of rye in the aroma but less than the other beer.

Taste: Winner – Red’s

Rye² - This is very sweet almost sickly sweet.

Red’s – this starts moderately bitter. It does have a bit of rye and sweetness but there is little doubt that the hops dominate although they never overpower.

Body/Finish: Winner – Red’s

Rye² - A light bodied beer that with a candy like finish.

Red’s – The beer has a medium body with a long dry finish with lots of good hop bitterness.

Overall: Winner – Red’s
Pretty clear winner of the two. I guess if you really like sweet beers you might prefer the Rye² but otherwise I would definitely say go for the Founders Red’s Rye. I do not think it is weak in any area. In fact I cannot think of a better red ale. I also think the rye adds just enough character to justify the name.

Head to Head: Terrapin Rye Pale Ale vs. Terrapin Rye²

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Rye beers brewed by The Terrapin Beer company in Georgia. The first is the Rye Pale Ale. The second is the Rye².

This tasting was done blind but is not to style. Why you ask? Well these beers are all different styles but they share one major characteristic, they all are brewed with rye. So lets see which is the best beer and what if anything the rye contributes.

Price: Winner – Rye

Rye – $9.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Rye² – $2.99 (12 0z bottle)

Appearance: Winner – Rye²

Rye – The Rye pours a yellow color with a average but very creamy white head that leave excellent lacing.

Rye² – The Rye² pours an amber color with a average but long lasting off-white head which leaves a good lace on the glass.

Aroma: Winner – Rye

Rye – The nose of this beer presents lots to enjoy. There is some straw and rye, a nice flower perfume, and some orange.

Rye² - This has lots of sweetness in the aroma. There is a bit of dark rye bread and a whiff of Alcohol.

Taste: Winner – Rye

Rye – A wonderful light and drinkable beer here. The flavor is a good balance of bitter and sweet with neither taking over.

Rye² - This almost reminds me of a barley wine. It is very sweet almost sickly sweet in fact with some alcohol presence.

Body/Finish: Winner – Tie

Rye – The body is light and presents a small amount of bitterness.

Rye² - Another light bodied beer that has a syrupy flavored (not textured) finish.

Overall: Winner – Rye
Well if the Rye² is supposed to be double the Rye I don’t see it. The Rye is a well balanced enjoyable beer. The Rye² is simply too sweet. Most of the character of the Rye is lost. Simply doubling everything was not a good return on the investment. Stick to the Rye Pale Ale and enjoy a good beer instead.

Head to Head: Bells Hopslam vs. Southern Tier Gemini

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Imperial India Pale Ales. The first is from Michigan and is the Bells Hopslam. The second is from New York and is the Southern Tier Gemini.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Price: Winner – Hopslam

Hopslam - $14.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Gemini - $8.99 (22oz Bottle)

Appearance: Winner – Gemini

Hopslam – Pours a yellowish-amber color. The off-white head is small and mostly diminishes. It leaves very little lace.

Gemini – Pours a Yellow amber with a large and very creamy off-white head. The head lasts for a long while and leaves some good lace on the glass

Aroma: Winner – Gemini by a small amount

Hopslam – The aroma is sweet with some citrus and honey a bit of resin and a light hop presence.

Gemini – This has some good sweetness, hints of grain and some floral hops.

Taste: Winner – Hopslam

Hoplsam – Presents a really good balance of sweet and bitter. It starts with a moderate bitterness that does not become overpowering. Instead the sweetness form the malt provides a good balance.

Gemini – The sweetness to bitterness of this beer is really well balanced. It has a good moderate bitterness to start then becomes sweet but then the bitterness returns.

Body/Finish: Winner – Tie

Hopslam – Ends with a wonderfully flavorful bitterness. Has a nice dryness in the finish.

Gemini – There is some good bitterness in the long finish.

Overall: Winner – Gemini, I think.
Pretty darn close this one. I love Hopslam so I did expect it to win. Yet when I tried the Gemini against the Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught I knew it was similar to the Hopslam in character. This test illustrated that. The Gemini has the same sweet/bitterness characteristic that makes Hoplsam so good. So today it beats the Bells but by a small margin. Of course when you consider that the Bells is cheaper and easier to find maybe I should choose it. But no I will stick with my first instinct, at least until next year.

Head to Head: Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught Imperial IPA vs. Bells Hopslam

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Imperial India Pale Ales. The first is from Indiana and is the Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA. The second is from Michigan and is the Bells Hopslam.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Price: Winner – Unsure

Floyd – ?? (22oz Bottle) This was brought down from Ohio by a good friend.

Hopslam - $14.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Appearance: Winner – Hopslam

Floyd – Pours a yellow-amber with a decent sized off-white head that diminishes but leaves some lace.

Hopslam – Pours a yellowish-amber color. The off-white head is small and mostly diminishes. It leaves very little lace.

Aroma: Winner – Floyd

Floyd – Hops, hops and more hops. Some pine/resin is also in there but bouquet is overwhelmingly hops.

Hopslam – The aroma is sweet with some citrus and honey and a light hop presence.

Taste: Winner – Hopslam

Floyds – This starts out with some moderate bitterness which builds in strength.

Hoplsam – Presents a really good balance of sweet and bitter. It starts with a moderate bitterness that does not become overpowering. Instead the sweetness form the malt provides a good balance.

Body/Finish: Winner – Tie

Floyds – The hops again dominate the finish but here it is really nice. The body is dry and lasts a long while.

Hopslam – Ends with a wonderfully flavorful bitterness. Has a nice dryness in the finish.

Overall: Winner – Hopslam
So a decisive win for Hopslam? Perhaps not. While it did win it was not the powerful win I remember when it went against the 90 Minute IPA. I can’t help but think that if the Dreadnaught had a bit more balance it would of faired incredibly well. It is still a great drinking beer you just need to love hops to truly enjoy it. So rack up another win for Hoplsam.

Beer Table: Imperial India Pale Ale

Imperial India Pale Ale
	Win	Loss	Draw	Points
Southern Tier Gemini	2	0	0	8
Bells Hopslam	2	0	0	6
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA	0	1	0	0
Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught Imperial IPA	0	2	0	0

Head to Head: Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA vs. Southern Tier Gemini

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have two Imperial India Pale Ales. The first is from Indiana and is the Three Floyds Dreadnaught Imperial IPA. The second is from New York and is the Southern Tier Gemini.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Price: Winner – Unsure

Floyd – ?? (22oz Bottle) This was brought down from Ohio by a good friend.

Gemini - $8.99 (22oz Bottle)

Appearance: Winner – Gemini

Floyd – Pours a Yellow amber with a decent sized off-white head. The head diminishes but leaves some lace.

Gemini – Pours a Yellow amber with a large off-white head. The head lasts for a long while and leaves some good lace on the glass

Aroma: Winner – Gemini

Floyd – Big hop bouquet with this one. Some pine/resin is also in there but the overwhelming aroma is of lots of hops.

Gemini – Not a lot of hops compared to the Floyd but this has some good sweetness and presents a more balanced aroma.

Taste: Winner – Gemini

Floyds – This starts out with some moderate bitterness but them this just builds.

Gemini – Starts out moderately sweet but then the hops build to create an nice bitter-sweet balance.

Body/Finish: Winner – Floyd

Floyds – As with the other areas the finish is about bitterness and here it is really nice. The body is dry and lasts a long while.

Gemini – There is some good bitterness in the finish.

Overall: Winner – Gemini

These were both fun if quiet different. If you love hops go for the Dreadnaught. It is really good. However going back and forth between the two it was the Gemini I enjoyed more. It had a great balance between hops and sweetness. In fact it reminded me of two of my favorite IIPA’s, the 90 Minute and Hoplsam. Luckily I had a Hopslam lying around so decided to try it against these two beers to see how it did. Check back to see the results.

Head to Head: Nøgne Ø Pale Ale vs. Oscar Blues Dales Pale Ale

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. This is the last of the American Pale Ales. The first is from America, the Oscar Blues Dales Pale Ale. The second is from Norway, the Nøgne Ø Pale Ale.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Price: Winner – Oscar

Nøgne – $5.99 (1pt .9oz bottle)

Oscar – $7.99 (6 pack 12 oz cans)

Appearance: Winner – Nøgne

Nøgne – The beer pours yellowish amber with a very large slightly off-white head. Some good lacing is left on the glass as the head slowly recedes.

Oscar – This also has a yellowish amber color with a smaller head that diminishes a bit quicker.

Aroma: Winner – Nøgne

Nøgne – I was quite simply amazed by this aroma. For an American Pale Ale it is full of aroma. Notes of grain, caramel, perfume and grass all combine to be truly aromatic.

Oscar – This beer has a very good aroma but just not as good as the other beer. It has hints of pine and is lightly hoppy with some apple notes.

Taste: Winner – Tie

Nøgne – This is the sweeter of the two beers. It still has a nice bitterness from the hops but the sweetness is always there.

Oscar – This is the more bitter. In fact I would of guessed this would be an IPA. It is not all bitter, as there is an underlying sweetness that gives is a great balance. But the hops are in control here.

Body/Finish: Winner – Oscar

Nøgne – The body is light to medium with a good bitter after taste that is a bit short.

Oscar – Has a medium body and lots of bitterness in the long after taste.

Overall: Winner – Nøgne
Sometimes these tastings are really hard. This is a good example. Both these beers are great. Each has characteristics that make it memorable and most enjoyable. But the one thing that swayed the decision to me was the bitterness of the Oscar Blues Dales Pale Ale. If it was an IPA it would be great. But as an American Pale Ale I think the bitterness is too strong. The Nøgne on the other hand is just wonderful. Plenty of hop aromas and flavors accompanied by a good sweet balance. There is nothing not to like about it. Either way they are both great beers and worth trying.

If you have followed the American Pale Ale comparisons you will know that I had two bottles of the Nøgne. One was great (the one used in this tasting) and one was not (the one that lost to the Terrapin). Quite simply this bottle was excellent. A beer that I really enjoyed. But I also have really enjoyed drinking the Dales. Give them both a try.

Head to Head: Terrapin Rye Pale Ale vs. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Welcome to another Head to Head challenge. Today we have some more American Pale Ales. The first beer is the Terrapin Rye Pale Ale. The second beer is the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

As usual the tasting was done blind and to style.

Price: Winner – Sierra by a few dimes.

Terrapin – $8.99 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Sierra – $8.79 (6 pack 12 oz bottles)

Appearance: Winner – Tie

Terrapin – This pours a yellowish amber with a small off white head. The head leaves some lace and quickly disappears.

Sierra – Pours a yellowish amber color with a small white head with some lacing left on the glass.

Aroma: Winner – Terrapin

Terrapin – The rye has a very light aroma of cereal, some citrus and a bit of nice hop aroma.

Sierra – It has a faint hop aroma with some citrus but this does not have much aroma.

Taste: Winner – Terrapin

Terrapin – Starts moderately bitter but the sweetness and rye flavor take control.

Sierra –There is a light bitterness to start that does not develop any further.

Body/Finish: Winner – Terrapin

Terrapin – The body is light to medium and the aftertaste has a reasonable amount of bitterness.

Sierra – The light body is accompanied by a short aftertaste with a light bitterness.

Overall: Winner – Terrapin
Well I think that seals it for the Sierra Nevada. Four comparisons and four losses. It is not a bad beer it just is nothing special. The Terrapin though has nice aroma and flavor. Fits within the style of a good American Pale Ale and has just enough rye character to be memorable. I would happily have it around as an easy drinking beer for hot summer days.