This weekend found me camping in Monterey for the Monterey Beer Festival. While I had planned to get this Beer of the Week ready while sitting by a morning campfire, I never found the time. Still, this beer is a fitting Beer of the Week as you will see in the tasting below. The belated Beer of the Week is Ale Industries Rye’d Piper.
Rye’d Piper 5.8% ABV
This hoppy red is a rich and flavorful beer with a touch of rye malt that compliments the roasty/chocolate flavors.
This is available on draft and in 22oz bottles.
Rye’d Piper starts with big, spicy rye bite out of the gates. Very similar to dark rye bread, softer dark malt flavors of raisin, fig and milk chocolate creep out from beneath the initial hit from this tiny little grain. The hops grab the back of your tongue and cheeks and provide a sharp finish that brings everything together for a well rounded lingering aftertaste.
Rye’d Piper is a big beer in terms of flavor, but not in terms of alcohol. At under 6%, this would qualify as a session strength beer for most California beer lovers.
Why is the relatively low alcohol a big deal? I think this beer was made for BBQ. The rich malt driven base, dark, rich flavors and a spicy kick in the end from the hops and rye almost mimic the profile of BBQ sauce’s sweet and spicy interplay. Rich enough to stand up against your favorite sauce or wash down a nice dry-rubbed, slow-cooked piece of meat, Rye’d Piper gets my vote for filling the cooler next to the grill.
Look forward to trying this beer with BBQ. Could make for an intriguing addition to a BBQ sauce.
