Here’s something I didn’t expect: Harpoon Green Mountain Ryed, a blended new England Rye IPA. I saw it at Total Wine on Black Friday and of course a four pack went into my cart. We don’t see the Harpoon specialty beers here in Georgia all that often, so when I do see one, I buy it. It’s as simple as that.

This one sounded good, too. I looked at the label in the store and it told of a blended beer:

35% Imperial Rye Ale aged in Whistlepig Piggyback barrels.

65% New England Rye IPA.

It also said:

“Barrel-Aged IPA” is a tough concept to nail. While time is a friend of barrel-aged beers, it’s the enemy of IPAs. To achieve the best of both worlds-aged whiskey and oak + fresh hop juiciness-we brewed two beers and blended them into one.

Sold! Although I don't quite agree about time being the enemy of IPA; it might be for most modern IPAs. It vears repeating here that the original India Pale Ales were brewed to stand the test of time as they were transported by ssea form England to India. Anyway, I got home and did a little research on the Harpoon website:

First, we brewed a high-gravity Rye Ale and aged it in freshly-emptied WhistlePig PiggyBack 100% Rye barrels, capturing the true essence of whiskey made from 100% Rye and imparting some warming notes of vanilla, dried citrus, and spice. Two months later, we brewed a heavily dry-hopped New England Rye IPA featuring some classic citrus-heavy hops (Citra, Centennial, Simcoe, & Amarillo). In both cases, we added some of WhistlePig’s own estate-grown rye into the grain bills for good measure.

Sold again! I didn’t waste any time popping a can and did just that the following Sunday while watching my beloved Patriots wallop the Titans. Shortly after my first few sips, the Patriots intercepted the Titans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the end zone. How about that? Before I get into my thoughts on the beer, I will tell you some last details about the beer.

Harpoon Green Mountain Ryed has an alcohol content of 7% by volume, and I paid $13.99 for my 4-pack of pint cans. That’s not so bad considering some of the prices Black Friday releases were commanding. There is no freshness dating on may cans, but the beer was introduced this year by Harpoon, as they ANNOUNCED November 2^nd.

Harpoon Green Mountain Ryed pours to a hazy orange color with a thick fluffy white head and a zesty nose of citrusy grapefruit. Taking a sip, the beer is again bright and citrusy like a fine New England IPA. Its medium in body, and spicy with rye from the ale. There’s also boozy warming rye from the barrel aging, too, and I immediately fell in love with the double dose of spicy rye in this IPA.

Have I mentioned I love rye? I do, and if you do too, then Harpoon Green mountain Ryed is just the beer for you, too.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??