23 of the Best Rye Ales, Blind-Tasted and Ranked

Learn about how we rate & review beers with our BJCP blind panel here


Brasserie Dunham Saison du Pinacle (81)

“Hoppy farmhouse ale brewed with rye, oats, and wheat and hopped with Australian and American hops. Fresh, lively, and hoppy when young, this beer also benefits from a bit of aging to reveal its _Brettanomyces_ character of farmhouse funk.”

Birds Fly South Rustic Sunday (85)

"House mixed-culture... barrel-aged, rye-forward farmhouse ale with Hallertauer Blanc hops."

Idle Hands Craft Ales Six Seam (86)

“Subtle spice character from rye complements the increased hopping rates and focus on Mosaic hops.”

The Referend Bier Blendery Mont Sainte-Victoire Houblon (86)

Our spontaneously fermented impression of saison, brewed with New Jersey wheat, rye, buckwheat, and oats, dry hopped with Strisselspalt and Saphir.

Deschutes Brewery The Stoic (86)

“Four nuanced fermentations. Aged, sequestered, in select rye-whiskey and wine casks. Ergo a stoically brewed quad, with the spellbinding complexity of its medieval ancestors.”

Odd Side Ales Rye Hipster Brunch Stout (88)

Fudge cookies dipped in your favorite rye whiskey, decadent and rich.

The Bruery Sour in the Rye (88)

“The rye asserts itself with clove and pepper in the aroma and flavor and contributes a full body. Pleasantly sour with notes of tart cherry, rustic earth, and vanilla from a year-plus of barrel aging.”

BKS Artisan Ales Recollection (Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged) (90)

“Dark barleywine aged in Willett rye whiskey barrels.”

Trinity Brewing Company One Ear (90)

“One Ear is an unspiced ‘naked’ saison brewed with barley, oats, and rye. A free-rise fermentation develops a light fruit and pepper, while the assertive hopping profile creates a dry finish.”

Jukes Ale Works LLC BA Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! (91)

“Aged in rye whiskey and bourbon barrels. Finished on toasted coconut, vanilla beans, cacao nibs, cinnamon, coffee.”

Perennial Artisan Ales Saison Lounge (91)

“Brewed with rye and spelt and hopped with Nelson Sauvin.”

Perennial Artisan Ales BA Vermilion (91)

“Our English barleywine aged for 18 months in Heaven Hill Rye Whiskey barrels.”

Firestone Walker Los Leñadores (92)

“Collaboration with Cigar City. Imperial brown ale aged in high-rye bourbon barrels.”

BKS Artisan Ales Shown the Light (92)

“Imperial stout aged in rye barrels and conditioned on vanilla beans.”

Rockwell Beer Company Byrd Up! (93)

Rye pale ale lightly dry hopped with Simcoe and Michigan Cascade.

Firestone Walker Brewing Co XXVIII Anniversary Ale (93)

“Strong ale blended from seven beers aged in bourbon and rye barrels.”

Wandering Monsters Brewing BA Labyrinth (94)

“Imperial brown ale aged in a Heaven Hill rye barrel.”

Alvarado Street Brewery Anniversary Ale V 2019 (97)

Aged in Heaven Hill and Four Roses bourbon barrels and Woodford Rye whiskey barrels.

Peculier Ales Barleywine (98)

“Barleywine aged in rye barrels, then rested on toasted coconut and vanilla.”

Melvin Brewing Eureka (House of Flying Barrels) Assembled Armor (98)

“A blend of imperial stouts and barleywines aged in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels with toasted black and white sesame seeds, smoked sea salt, maple syrup, cinnamon.”

Perennial Artisan Ales BA Abraxas 2019 (99)

Imperial stout aged 15–17 months in rye whiskey barrels and steeped on ancho chilies, cocoa nibs, cinna-mon, and vanilla beans.

Perennial Artisan Ales Barrel-Aged Abraxas (100)

“Imperial stout aged twelve months in Rittenhouse Rye barrels with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, ancho chiles, and cinnamon sticks.”

Perennial Artisan Ales Maman 2018 (100)

2018 Maman was aged for 12 to 14 months in Rittenhouse Rye barrels before blending and packaging. It’s our purest expression of beer in oak and presents a luxurious combination of cocoa, caramel, vanilla, and ma-ple wrapped up with a big boozy bow.