On a recent trip to the local store, I hit the “craft” beer wall and picked up a bottle of the Founders Red’s Rye PA as a part of a mixed six. From the Founders site:
“Serious hop bitterness, along with an unyielding grapefruit bouquet from the Amarillo dry-hop, balances the malty richness of four varieties of imported Belgian caramel malts. Pours a spectacular crimson with a creamy tan head. A generous addition of rye malt accentuates a spicy, crisp finish”
I found the Red’s Rye PA to have the following characteristics.
- Appearance:A little cloudy, reddish-orange. Good foam and lacing.
- Aroma: Sweet malt and grapefruit.
- Taste: Nice start with a good combination of citrus and sweet malt followed by smooth, slightly spicy, slightly bitter finish.
- ABV: 6.6%
My only experience with Founders was a Kentucky Breakfast Stout at the Pour House. Suffice it to say, that the KBS, while quite flavorful, was not to my liking. The Red’s Rye PA was a totally different story. Part Belgian Ale, part Rye Ale, and part IPA, the guys at Founders seem to have blended a mixture of flavors and come up with a truly extraordinary beer.
Categories: Brew Review, Founders
AMKrouse
The Alemonger
G-LO
limpd
The Wookie
The ROK
Sarah -BeautifulTangibleThings
The Astounding Prism
It's just the booze dancing... 
I have a KBS sitting in my fridge thanks to a trade, but other than that, I can’t get Founder’s where I am. I’m going to have to work at getting this one somehow, because for some reason I’ve had a weird aversion to rye beers and I’m trying to redeem them – I’m sure this would work perfectly.
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Our friend, the Wookie is a big fan of rye beers but at times I have found them to be a little too intense. This was not the case with the Red’s Rye PA. The blending of the different styles really seemed to bring out the best of each. Hope you are successful in your search.
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I do love a good Rye beer. My first was the Summit Rye that I had last summer courtesy of our loony friend The Alemonger. I’ve also had the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye. Both are excellent. Terrapin also makes some delicious Rye beers. The Wookie may have proposed marriage to their Rye Squared. Great stuff!
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So in other words the red rye gave you the red eye. Ha, that was lame, but I just couldn’t resist.
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sounds like a winner
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I need to try this one…it will be on my 365 for sure if I can find it.
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Just bought our first two Founder’s beers last week, this being one, and the Dirty Bastard (Scotch Ale) being the other. Really impressed with their beers.
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From the names of the beer, to the pictures on the label to the product inside, everything about Founders speaks to quality. My fellow dancers really enjoyed the KBS, G-Lo liked the Breakfast stout and I found the Red’s Rye PA to be really good. Let us know what you think of your purchases.
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Loved the “rye” taste of this beer when I first had it at a pub, and just found out that it will be available as a growler in our town tomorrow. Cannot wait to get some and try it again on draft!
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