Given that you’re apparently voluntarily reading something with “beer” in the headline, I’ll assume I don’t have to explain to you who Three Floyds are or what they do. Let’s just get down to business. Rye da Tiger is a double rye IPA, an amped-up version of a beer the brewery released in collaboration with Reckless for Record Store Day in April—that one, in an even more obvious metal reference, was called Rye’d da Lightning. A rye IPA, to get remedial for a moment, replaces a substantial portion of the barley malt in a traditional IPA with rye, usually also malted. Rye can impart much more foreground flavor than barley, depending on how much you use—”grassy” and “peppery” are beer nerds’ favorite words to describe it.
Rye da Tiger is the color of dark honey with a blush of pink, though I suppose that last could’ve been a side effect of the red tablecloth in my friends’ dining room. Its bone-white head thins quickly to a lacy ring, but the beer itself is substantial and chewy. Unless you pour it with borderline monastic patience, you’ll end up with a bit of sediment on the bottom of your glass. Go ahead and drink it—it’s just as tasty as everything else in the bottle.