Surly 60 Below Rye IPA
I’m a big fan of brewer’s utlizing rye within their IPAs. Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye is one of my favorite beers due to that peppery kick from the grain addition. And now Surly have themselves this limited release, 60 Below Rye IPA that also uses the ingredient to great effect. Named in celebration of the coldest recorded temperature to have hit Minnesota, the IPA isn’t quite enough on its own to warm you up at 6.5% ABV, but the rye and hop profile are enough to at least distract you from the frigid temperatures.
Available only in the company’s variety packs, 60 Below is a nice change of pace from the New England style IPAs that I’ve been encountering as of late. The IPA presents an earthy and spicy amount of rye that amplifies the hop bitterness nicely. The unnamed hop varieties within this rusty amber brew are only listed as experimental, imparting a welcome array of pine, grapefruit and touch of orange from start to finish. A solid malt bill helps balance everything out with bready notes and a touch of caramel as the crisp, refreshing brew wraps up in a lasting finish with lingering tingle of rye and hop bitterness.
I can’t imagine Surly’s 60 Below overtaking Hop Rod Rye any time soon as my favorite — mostly due to availability — but I thoroughly enjoyed the natural and earthy flavors that the rye presented. It was almost rustic in nature as the hop profile kept up to match the earthiness with a nice array of traits in their own right. This is the type of brew I would grab in an instant as a wonderful change of pace from the fruit-forward, low-bitterness IPAs that currently rule the market. Thankfully, most of you won’t have to subject yourself to near-unfathomably low temperatures to enjoy a can or three.