As a beer writer/blogger, we’re a priviledged lot. We get to have great conversations with brewers of our favorite beers, & very occasionally (as in the case of yours truly), we get given beer to try to give our honest feedback on. So, when Rye River Brewing kindly sent me bottles of their new beers being showcased this weekend at the AllTech Craft Beer & Food Fair in Dublin’s Convention Center, all I was told before hand was “Francis’ siblings were coming to party.” Oh my gawwwddd!!!!
Little Bangin IPA – 3.8% ABV
I have stated on countless occasions that Francis’ Big Bangin IPA from Rye River Brewing’s McGargles range is my go-to IPA. So when I’m told this is Francis’ raucous little brother, & that it has more hops than Francis in it, there’s a part of me that is scared. VERY VERY scared. I’ve seen the hop bill for Francis while its being brewed, & it frightens the ever loving shit out of me how a brewery can even do that without hitting penuary on a beer that sells for under four euros a bottle.
Another thought hit my head, my favorite sub 4% beer made is BrewDog’s Dead Pony Club, which in my opinion is one of the (if not the) most technically accomplished beers ever brewed this side of the Atlantic. I now believe the brew-magi at Rye River have surpassed that feat with Little Bangin.
Popping a bottle, it’s dizzying how much hop aroma comes out. And it’s wonderfully fruity. Into the glass, it pours a wonderful golden hue with a decent off-white head that as you’d expect for a 3.8% beer isn’t hanging around long, but it does lace the glass nicely. On the nose, it’s a slapshot that Zdeno Chara would envy. It’s a wonderful rainbow of everything tropical, & in the glass that gets to breathe more.
I cracked this open last night to accompany a homemade spaghetti carbonara, & it worked beautifully with the creamy, cheesey pasta dish. Sometimes beers like this are just too dry to sit well with creamy cheesy dishes. Little Bangin felt more like a glass of Moscato with it; with its tangerine-orange nose, lightness & a reasonable weight on the palette which makes it a fantastic accompaniment drink aside from its intent as a ‘sessionable’ one.
Speaking of the palette-feel for this beer, normally when doing a 3.8% pale beer you try to mash it higher on your pale malts to give it more depth. Here however, a malt bill including wheat, barley & oats shores up that mouthfeel to make it ‘feel’ more than the 3.8%.
I think this may be my new sub 4% ABV standard bearer for PA/IPA beers for some time to come. And I’ve a feeling that this will be a very very popular beer with cratfbeerarati & casual craft beer drinkers alike.
RATING: 
hopaddiktion.com 