I’m not a traditional Reinheitsgebot kind of guy, but there are certain extra ingredients that do work well in beer and other that definitely do not. I remember trying a jalapeno lager a few years back. Rancid. Lately more brewers have been introducing beers brewed w/ rye malt, and these I tend to like. Hop Rod Rye, Red’s Rye PA and Biersch’s Rogenweiss all come to mind. Rye gives a spicy, earthiness that adds to the complexity of the beer. Sierra Nevada’s Ruthless Rye IPA is one such beer. It pours deep amber-red with a generous head and is loaded with of piney hops of the Bravo, Chinook, Citra and experimental variety, with rye’s earthy, grassy qualities in addition. At 6.6% ABV you can expect a light alcohol tang, but that helps temper the spicy, peppery rye, a flavor unusual to typical IPAs. Ruthless Rye IPA is bitter, sharp and all-in-all an agreeable beer, but it is a sipper, not a quaffer. It would go well with flavorful meats like lamb chops. Not for the faint of heart.
Ruthless Rye IPA
Posted on March 4, 2012 by Bill
beerbliographer 
I’ve had this twice so far, and I was pleased with it in both bottle and tap.
Rye is my favorite “adjunct.” I will be searching the Ruthless Rye out.
I’m planning a rye bock homebrew. Have you brewed with rye helpermonkey? I’m also considering adding oak chips saturated with bourbon while fermenting. Sounds good on paper anyway.
We enjoy reading about all the beers and beer stories this blog reports on. We are in the planning stages for a new brewery in Northeastern USA called Charter Oak Brewing Company LLC and our business plan is to grow to over 25,000BBL within 5 years.
The breweries and stories you report on, allow for much encouragement.
http://charteroakbrewing.com
A True Legend!
That’s great news for the people of Connecticut. I hope some of your brew makes it to the Chicago area. I look forward to tasting your beer and wish you much success!