Tarboro First Ryed IPA
I knew going into this purchase of Tarboro’s First Ryed IPA that it had a fairly old canning date (Feb 16, 2018) and was probably going to be a bit past its prime. I was, however, in the mood to explore a rye IPA that I hadn’t crossed paths with previously and decided to take the chance knowing full well that the hop profile was likely going to be a bit faded. And, it was, but this 7.5% ABV brew was still pretty darn tasty just the same.
As the potent hop profile has faded – there’s still a good bit of soft pine, grapefruit notes and grass to go along with a good bitterness – the malt bill has stepped up in its place. Bready notes, peppery rye, grain and caramel probably show through a bit more than when the beer was fresh. First Ryed IPA is earthy and, while the hop traits are still present, it’s the malt bill’s time to shine.
Like I stated earlier in the review, I knew this was going to be an older IPA and to be honest, it’s still not half bad. I found it quite easy drinking and tasty for different reasons as the hops have dimmed a bit. It’s not an entirely divergent beer than when it was fresh I’m sure, but it’s flavor profile still worked out well for me.