Saint Arnold Icon Blue Rye IPA Available Now
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MyBeer Buzz
We brought you news of this beer back in Sept, and now it’s available from Saint Arnold:
Our New Icon Blue – Rye IPA is Now Available 
Since we first released it about two years ago, our rotating Icon series has become a favorite with our brewers. Through Icon, we are able to release some of their new, innovative recipes – beers they have been test brewing and perfecting for a long time.
Our newest Icon Blue is Rye IPA, brewer Casey’s recipe. He wanted to brew a big west coast IPA with plenty of Mosaic hops and a distinct spicy flavor from the addition of rye malt. The sweetness from the malt helps balance out the bitterness created by the six varieties of American hops used in the beer.
Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and Mosaic hops combine to create a fruity, piney bouquet of flavors. Two huge dry hop additions of Mosaic create an aggressive depth in the aroma.
Our Icon series is available while it lasts in four packs at grocery and liquor stores and on tap around town at bars and restaurants.
See all the specifications on Icon Blue – Rye IPA here.
From Saint Arnold 16 Mar 2015:
HOUSTON, March 16, 2015 – If someone snaps your picture when you purchase Saint Arnold Icon Blue, the photographer might be brewer Casey Motes. Saint Arnold Brewing Co. (www.saintarnold.com), the oldest craft brewery in Texas, is rolling out Icon Blue – a Rye IPA that checks in at 75 IBUs (International Bitterness Units) – as supplies of Icon Red are depleted. Motes has been working on the recipe for Saint Arnold Icon Blue recipe for nearly a year.
"The last time one of my beers came out, the guy in front of me in the checkout line was buying a six-pack and I took a picture to send to my Mom," said Motes, who has been a brewer with Saint Arnold for three years. "This is something I’ve been working on for nearly a year, so I get a big kick out of seeing people’s reaction and explaining all that goes into the beer."
A lot goes into Saint Arnold Icon Blue, which has characteristics similar to an American IPA, but it includes Rye instead of a traditional malt bill. Icon Blue features six different hop varieties, including Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe and Mosaic hops. To balance the hop bitter, Saint Arnold uses Rye and Cara (Crystal) Rye, which add some sweetness and spice. The result is a fruity, piney bouquet of flavors. Two Mosaic dry hop additions enhance the aroma as well.
"Rye adds a complex layer of earthy spiciness that you can’t get from anything else," said Motes. "Compare white or wheat bread to rye bread. That’s the kind of difference that malt can make with beer, too. That herbal, earthy spice is very distinct and if that’s balanced with the right hops you can create some pretty amazing flavors."
Specifications for Saint Arnold Icon Blue:
Original Gravity: 1.067
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol: 7.8% ABV
Bitterness: 75 IBU
Saint Arnold Icon is a line of rotating beers that complement the brewery’s year-round and seasonal offerings. A new Saint Arnold Icon beer is released every three months or so, depending on how quickly supplies are exhausted. This beer is referred to as Saint Arnold Icon Blue because of its striking metallic blue and black label. Saint Arnold Icon Blue is beginning to show up in 4-packs of 12 ounce bottles and on tap in pubs and restaurants throughout Texas and Louisiana.
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