BOSTON, MA – Eight years after meeting freshman year in college and bonding over a shared love of beer, Rich Doyle and Dan Kenary hired a brewer and signed a lease for an old shipbuilding facility on Boston’s waterfront so they could brew the beer they wanted to drink. In 1986 the Harpoon Brewery was born. Today Harpoon introduces Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA, a new year-round beer that celebrates decades of friendship and brewing great beer together.
Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA is the first year-round release for Harpoon in more than two years. This beer was first introduced in 2011 as part of Harpoon’s popular 100 Barrel Series, a line of limited batch beers, to celebrate the brewery’s 25th anniversary.
“We love rye and we love IPA. After a night out in Boston drinking beers and talking, Rich and I agreed that this was the right beer for us to brew together,” says Dan. “We don’t add a lot of beer to our year-round lineup so we didn’t take the decision to make the Rye IPA a year-round offering lightly. It’s a great tasting beer, it celebrates how far we’ve come, and we’re really excited about it.”
Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA was brewed using Harpoon’s proprietary yeast, the same yeast strain that has been used at Harpoon since the first batch of Harpoon Ale was brewed in 1987. The combination of Pale, Rye, Caramel 60, Flaked Rye, and Vienna yields a complex malt body that stands up to the spiciness of the rye and the pronounced hop flavor. The rye also adds a reddish hue to the beer. The kettle additions of Centennial, Apollo, and Chinook, and the dry hop addition of Falconer’s Flight add a multidimensional hop character. This beer has a fruity, subtly spicy aroma, a full mouthfeel, and a dry finish.
Rich and Dan are pioneers in the craft beer movement. In the mid-eighties, inspired by their desire for better beer and a dearth of beer choices, they decided to start their own brewery in Boston. In 1986 Harpoon was issued Brewing Permit #001 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, since it was the first brewery to brew in Boston after a dormant period of about 25 years. Once they hired a brewer and a space for brewing equipment, Rich and Dan set out to formulate the recipe for Harpoon Ale, the first Harpoon beer released in 1987. However, it wasn’t until they released Harpoon IPA in 1992 as a summer seasonal that the brewery and their beer caught on. Today — located in the very same building they brewed their first beer in, using the same house yeast from day one — Harpoon is the largest brewery in Massachusetts and the 9th largest craft brewer in the US.
“When I look back to where Dan and my friendship started, and now being in the brewery and having the knowledge and the equipment and the wherewithal to actually make a great beer like this, it’s really amazing and fun,” says Rich. “And it’s great that we still enjoy having a beer together.”
Harpoon Rich & Dan’s Rye IPA is now available in 6-packs and on draft at select retailers. A video featuring Rich and Dan talking about the beer can be viewed at www.harpoonbrewery.com/ryeipa.