3rd Barrel Rudder is a 7% American IPA from 3rd Barrel Brewery, based in Izumo, in Shimane, Japan. It’s part of their regular lineup and can be found in both bottles and on draught. 3rd Barrel Rudder is brewed using Citra and Idaho 7 hops and takes its name from the part of the boat used to to steer the boat – let’s hope that 3rd Barrel Brewery used it to steer this beer in the right direction.
3rd Barrel Rudder : At A Glance
- Alcohol: 7%
- Style: American IPA
- Hops: Citra and Idaho 7
- Adjuncts: –
- IBU: 50
Sale Information
- Availability: Regular
- On Sale: From February 2022
- Size: 330 ml
- Price: From ¥715
Aroma & Taste
- Notable Aroma: Light lemon and grapefruit with strong caramel aroma. Light buttery notes when warm.
- Notable Taste: Starts bitter with lemon and grapefruit, rather full bodied and caramel sweetness in the backbone. Finishes with a light butter flavour.
3rd Barrel Rudder : Aroma & Taste
3rd Barrel Rudder poured out a dark amber colour with a thick layer of sticky white head that left lacing down the side of the glass. For a supposed American IPA, 3rd Barrel Rudder was a tad too dark for my liking for that style of beer and looked more to be like an English IPA. The aroma began with a light lemon and grapefruit note, though the malts came screaming in with a strong caramel aroma that brought with some light diacetyl notes. As 3rd Barrel Rudder warmed up, the early hop aromas gave way quicker to the caramel and diacetyl-like aroma in the beer – perhaps welcome in an English IPA, but certainly not in a standard American IPA.
3rd Barrel Rudder was a mixed bag in the body as well. It began nicely with a smooth bitter lemon and grapefruit flavour in the initial taste, though that once again gave way to the caramel and diacetyl notes that made 3rd Barrel Rudder an English IPA. The trouble is, when you’re told that a beer is a certain style, it’s very hard to switch off that thinking, especially when 3rd Barrel Rudder doesn’t look like an American IPA either. As it warmed up, the butteriness that was present in the nose was once again in the body.
3rd Barrel Rudder : The Bottom Line
While 3rd Barrel Rudder is drinkable, it’s not a good example by any means of an American IPA. A miss for us.
3rd Barrel Rudder : Where to Buy
3rd Barrel Rudder can be bought online at the following places:
