Haymarket Angry Birds Belgian Rye I.P.A.

Once again I find myself apologizing for not posting in a while.  Same excuses, new day, so I will spare you the trouble.  Good news is that Haymarket has Angry Birds back on tap!  I of course used this as an excuse to buy my first growler in Chicago (how pathetic, no?) and give myself an underserved pat on the back for finishing up some recent assignments.  Don't judge me.

Angry Birds Belgian Rye I.P.A.


Appearance- Hazy golden yellow with a small off white head. The head disappears almost completely, but the growler was opened up yesterday (although there was not much head then either). No lacing on the glass.

Smell- Belgian yeast hits first with noticeable bubblegum and phenolic clove. There may be a hint of banana underneath as well. Citrus hops begin to come through in the middle with a resiny smell following. Slight alcohol in the finish.

Taste- The beer starts strong with the belgian yeast characteristics again. the bubblegum character is prominent with clove lingering in the background. Seems to be a little candied fruit as well. The middle brings the citrus hops the work together well with the yeast. Slight bitterness build in the middle and continues into the finish of the beer. All the while there is a slight belgian phenolic yeast characteristic hanging in the background. Great balance.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with medium low carbonation. Its a little less carbonated than yesterday according to notes so I am going to chalk it up to the opened growler. Smooth on the tongue and slightly dry in the finish.

Overall and Notes- I love this beer. I personally believe its one of the best, if not the best, examples of the Belgian IPA I have had to this date. Great mix between hops and yeast characteristics. Easy to say that I will be refilling my growler often. Not surprising to see it brought home the Gold Medal at the GABF.


The only thing I have to do next is convince the lovely people at Haymarket to allow me to lay directly beneath the Angry Birds tap and let the sucker flow.  The only thing I'm really iffy on is the name, but they did name another beer after Justin Bieber which gave me a chuckle, so I will let it slide.  Also, meant to address something in my other post.  I'm not sure if there was a misprint when I posted about Haymarket last, but growler prices are not as ridiculous as I originally posted.  As well, Haymarket had a limited bigger version on this that was incredibly delicious.  That and two taps dedicated to 2010 Bigfoot and Hopslam.  Haymarket, what I'm trying to say is I love you.