Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA Brewed by Sierra Nevada Brewing - Chico, CA     

Rye has been a staple grain for millennia—sought after for its stubborn resilience in the field and revered for its unique flavor. Ruthless Rye IPA is brewed with rustic grains for refined flavors—combining the peppery spice of rye and the bright citrusy flavors of whole-cone hops to create a complex ale for the tumultuous transition to spring. Gold Medal Winner at the 2012 World Beer Cup. ABV: 6.6%. Malts: Pale, Rye, Caramel and Chocolate. Hops: Bravo, Chinook, Citra, and Experimental. IBUs: 55.

      
Beer Review by Beer Advocate      
Appearance - Poured a darker orange amber color, quite clear looking. One finger light brown head. Holds it's shape and body quite well. Settled down to a good layer of film leaving a nice looking ring of lacing in the glass.

Aroma - Rye really stands out in this. Lots of spiciness in the nose. Bits of orange and grapefruit compliment the nose along with a decent malt sweetness backbone.

Taste - Spicy and earthy orange followed by a bit of earthy grapefruit. It is the rye that stands out in this. Just enough bitterness that makes this interesting and gives it a ZING.

Mouthfeel - Creamy with medium body and medium carbonation. Slightly metallic and pine bitterness in the mid and back but not all that bad really.

Overall - Pretty much beer my stand by beer for the last two months. Quite enjoy the beer as the rye really makes this work. Holds up better than other US IPA's that make the trip here. Good beer to have several of in a night.
    

 
History of Sierra Nevada
In 1978, Ken Grossman and co-founder Paul Camusi cobbled a brewery together from dairy tanks, a soft-drink bottler, and equipment salvaged from defunct breweries. Though the equipment was secondhand, they created a first-rate microbrewery. The ingredients were premium, including the copious quantities of hops that would become the brewery’s trademark. An avid backpacker, Ken named the new company for his favorite hiking grounds—the Sierra Nevada mountains.
 
   
 
Finally, on November 15, 1980, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. brewed the first batch of what would soon become a landmark in American craft brewing: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Word spread quickly, and over the next decade the demand for Sierra Nevada brews soon exceeded the brewery’s modest brewing capacity. Despite nearly constant additions to the brewery, Ken was soon back at the drawing board, planning a new brewery. In 1989, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. moved to its current site.

Ken traveled to Germany and brought back a traditional 100-barrel copper brew house, which became the heart of the new brewery. This met demand for a while, but the brewery soon needed to expand again. In 1997, Ken commissioned the original coppersmiths to match new kettles to the originals, bringing the brewery’s total capacity to almost eight hundred thousand barrels per year.

Building the new brewery afforded Sierra Nevada the opportunity to create two stunning showcases, both featuring exceptional dining, live music, and its award-winning beers. The elegant Sierra Nevada Taproom and Restaurant has become a destination in its own right. With mouthwatering lunch and dinner menus, an impressive dining room, and a large outdoor dining patio, it offers distinctive, contemporary cuisine as well as an opportunity to sample the brewery’s entire line of premium ales and lagers, including hard-to-find specialty drafts. The 350-seat Big Room—a beautifully designed live music and multi-purpose room—was constructed on the west end of the brewery to feature live music events for all ages and is a perfect facility for weddings, reunions, and business conferences.

To this day, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. remains true to its roots. Ken is still personally involved in every aspect of brewery operation. Most importantly, the Sierra Nevada commitment to quality remains the same. Premium ingredients and time-honored brewing techniques make Sierra Nevada ales and lagers truly exceptional beers.