Concrete Dinosaur Brown Rye IPA by Right Brain Brewery is a great example of a well-crafted very flavorful Rye IPA with amazing balance and drinkability, and should be a definite go-to brew if available in your area. Due to it being a Brown Rye IPA (combination of Brown IPA and Rye IPA), this is being evaluated as a Category 34B Mixed Style Specialty beer as per the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines.
The aroma is loaded with dank Simcoe and tropical hop character along with dark/brown caramel and roast malt aromas. A touch of sweetness and some esters come through with a rye sharpness that completes the package. All these characters marry very well without dominance. The color is an amber-brown with fantastic clarity and an impressive, long-lingering small bubble, cream-colored head with definite lacing. This is a very attractive beer!
The up-front flavor features a nice blend of a subtle brown/dark malt backbone, rye, moderate hop bitterness and the moderate levels of tropical and dank hop flavors that were promised in the aroma. This is followed by a sweet brown/caramel malt character in the middle that does linger through the finish. The balance is toward the hop character in the middle, finish and aftertaste, with the hop bitterness coming more into the forefront in the finish and aftertaste. The sharpness from the rye flavor helps accentuate the late bitterness. The body is medium, and the carbonation is at a moderate level.
Concrete Dinosaur is a very well-crafted and delicious IPA that is well worth your consideration if you happen across it or decide to seek it out. I personally am not a huge Rye IPA aficionado, but this offering’s complete package in combination with the Brown IPA character works very well!