Samuel Adams Rebel Rider
Bursting with bright citrus and tropical fruit notes of apricot and tangerine, with hints of pine and a slight resinous character, this brew brings a lighter-bodied sibling to our Rebel family of IPAs. This IPA finishes with just enough subtle bitterness to bring you back for another sip.
3.1
252 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Not as good as the Rebel IPA. The finish just lingers on, and on, and on. I don't find it terribly subtle, it just seems to hang there in your mouth for quite a while.
Lightly hoppy aroma. Pours orange gold. Flavour is super balanced and dry. Body is medium to light. Super finish with smooth hops.
2015-11-14. Crisp golden yellow body with a small white head. 3+ Aroma is mild, lightly fruity green hops. Flavour is lightly bitter muted fruit green hops, lightly biscuity cereal malt. Average bodied palate, soft carbonation. Okay 6/3/6/3/14-15 Bottle at Top of The Hub, Boston.
Best by date is 08/15, so take this rating with a grain of malt. Very light color, pale, small decent looking head. Aroma is citrus, orange, lemon peel. Fairly standard IPA but solid. Definitely some resin and pine, as advertised. Lots of bready malt, but way less of a malt bomb than I expected considering the date. Flavor has a lot of malt, definitely some residual orange and lemon; not much beyond that. A lot of malt, but that’s hardly fair considering the bottling date. Although there’s a pleasant bitter finish. Not too weak. Gotta hand it to Koch, he may not like IPAs but he knows it’s what sells in this market and although it may not be the best, it ain’t bad. Way more body than I’d expect from it.
Pours golden yellow, clear with a whispy head. Decent aroma, pine, citrus. The beer fell on its face on the tongue. I know you’re a session, but pack some more punch bro. Just notes of pine, grass, lemon, but pretty watery.
Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Modern Times pint glass
From: Barons Market in Alpine, Calif.
Price: $1.49
Purchased: Nov. 5, 2015
Consumed: Nov. 5, 2015
Misc.: Enjoy before July, 2015 (Oops, I originally thought December was marked off, will rate accordingly)
Poured a yellow, golden, pale, clear color with two fingers of off-white, rocky head. A few bubbles trickling up from the bottom of the glass. Minimal wet foamy lacing on the sides of the glass. Poor retention. (Sight - 3.50)
First thought on the smell was this does not smell like a West Coast IPA. Second thought this was definitely a Sam Adams beer. Got citrus, lime, pine, lemon, caramel and light, earthy, spoiled fruit. (Smell - 3.50)
Tasted worse than the smell, which I will try to blame on the expiration date. Got earthy malts, pine, citrus, lime, caramel, floral and faint gritty tropical rind. (Taste - 3.25)
Light body. Oily texture. Average carbonation. Bitter, abrupt finish (Feel - 3.50)
Obviously this would have been better if it was fresh, but I did give the benefit of the doubt across the board, rounding up rather than rounding down, so it mostly evened out. Will have to try it fresh and adjust accordingly, but giving it a gracious 3.50 for now. (Overall - 3.50)
3.40 78 B-
From a bot this has a big fresh ipa impact. Crisp and good co2. Yes, has the bitter bite, almost astringent but I find it to be perhaps a little easier to take than most of this style. Seems to have a big alky flavor on the buds but its 4.5%. Bitterness build thru the session and eventually does have that mouth coating dishsoap feeling too it. Samy, the macro craft micro, heheh.
Light and malty with the hops being equal but not overpowering. Gold color and a lot of carbonation
12 oz bottle purchased as a single at the Hy Vee near Drake in Des Moines, Iowa. Best By May 2015 notched on the label. Shame on me for not noticing this was out of date. The pour is a mostly clear golden yellow with a one inch white head that is lasting. Decent lacing left behind on the glass. The aroma is a bit of skunk, citrus, grapefruit peel and general bitterness. The taste is the grapefruit, resin bitter, some bright floral, and subdued cracker malt underneath. Some of the skunk of the nose pervades the finish, detracting. The palate is light bodied, with soft carbonation, and the dry bitter finish. Just ok, though fresh probably quite drinkable.
12 oz bottle from local store. Pours a clear golden amber color with a small off white head. The aroma and flavor have citrus and mild resin, some earthy notes, caramel, lightly toasted malt, nothing bad, but not much to get excited about, plenty of stuff to drink instead.
bottled, golden yellow with no foam, light doughy hops with some malt background, not as good as the other Rebel Rouser is probably the best of the bunch
This IPA poured a slightly cloudy, medium yellow colour with a quickly dissipating, white head. Scents include spruce, grass and hay. Total hop other than a little cream in the background? First swig was smooth and almost watery. Flavours of citrus hops most prominent. Finish is quite bitter with citrus flavours lingering.
Poured from 12oz brown bottle into Spieglau IPA glass, a clear light golden colour with white foam, lasting with lace. Strong hops-forward aromas and flavours--grapefruit, pine cones, weeds, blackberries, black currants, herbal, zesty, tangy--with nice crisp, grainy, malt sweetness underneath. Predictable mix of American hops, but good ones at that. Light body, strong carbonation, great hoppy aftertaste with dry finish. Nice session-strength, none of those hot alcohol vapors of trendy Imperial IPAs. Well-crafted and tasty.
Twelve ounce bottle from mixed six pack purchased at Kroger on Harrison Avenue in Dent, tasted on July 3, 2015. Slightly hazy hue, aroma of resin/citrus/some pine, light body, taste much like aroma with some astringency. Nice and sessionable.
Rebel Rider was my less-boozy follow-up to Boulevard’s Heavy Lifting. It seemed fitting. Rebel Rider features many of the same hop varieties. As a hoppy chaser, Rebel Rider was a bit of a let-down. Just to be clear, I think Samuel Adams has done great things with hops. I like Rebel, I enjoy Latitude 48, and I’m a big fan of the deconstructed single-hop releases. Rebel Rider is far from those classes. It smells and tastes more like yeast than hops. Less booze or not, I want lots of hops, especially when they’re varieties as complex and tasty as these.
Bottle from the warehouse. Pours a mostly clear yellow-orange with a white head. Nose is some light apricot and citrus with mild grass and slight malt. Flavor is similar- light in body with some nice citrus and some apricot with hints of malt. Light in body and lingering citrus. Not a bad session IPA.
Golden pour, white head. Floral and citrus nose. Taste is floral, citrus, piney, cracker.
Bottle. It poured a golden color with a white head. The aroma was of pine, citrus and some tropical fruits. The taste was similar to the aroma with more fruits and some bitter hoppiness. Decent.
Bottle from Rite-Aid: Poured a golden liquid with minimal formation of head that eventually fizzed out to nothing. The aroma is hoppy but smells similar to a home-made brew with hop pellet and cheap malting. The drink is bitter and has fruit like flavors but is supported by a grain hay malt. Nothing special taste too much like the artificial fruit style beers Sam Adams is notoriously known for even though this is just an IPA.
Bottle. Light copper with thin head. Aroma of citrus, grapefruit, and light pine. Light body with moderate hop bitterness.
Aroma of citrus fruit, and a piney hop note mixed in. Light golden color with a frothy white head. Sweet malt up front with citrus tones. Slightly sweet then an even bitterness coats the palate. Pine echos on the finish. Slightly slick mouth feel. Balanced. Average.
Bottle. Lightly pungent hoppy nose, with mild caramel and toasty maltiness. Hazy medium straw color. Malty initial, with some light grain, stone fruit, and nice hop trach in finish. Thin-medium body. Pleasant enough. Seems stronger than 4.5%. A session brew w/o the typical light session character.
Bottle as pictured. Not a bad beer but doesn’t stand up to others of the style. A little bit hoppy, tastes fresh enough, but just not as flavorful as you’d like.
Rated on 6-17-2015 (Bottle-Enjoy before June 2015) The appearance is a medium sized off-white head that is fully lasting, slightly hazy pale yellow body, slow rising carbonation, and spotty amounts of lacing. The aroma is citrus, pine hops, grassy, grapefruit, light tropical fruits. The flavor mimics the aroma along with moderate hop bitterness. This beer is light-medium bodied. This is a very quaffable beer with a mild lingering bitterness.
Bottle from craft. Brew was a bit thin in the body and watery. Some nice notes of hop and tangerine and pine. It was ok.
Bottle from Giant Eagle. Pours a clear amber color with a medium white head. A nice light fruity nose. Clean, flavorful citrus, light biscuit, some mild pine. Solid. Decent.
OK session IPA. Straw coloured with decent white head. Body is light and low carb but saved by a bit of creaminess. Flavours mostly malt and grapefruit with a bitter finish.
Clear golden yellow with a decent foamy white head. Sweet hoppy citrus aroma. Somewhat malty taste leads into a tangy and effervescent bitter hoppiness.
Bottle. Gold with fine bubbles and minimal lacing. Grapefruit, french bread, lime peel, a little musty and dried grass. Has a dry, grassy, lime bitterness that is lighter side of medium. Body is light and crisp.
Pours a clear light amber color with a faint white head. Nice hoppy citrus aroma. Feels a little heavy like a lager. More bitter than the Rebel IPA but not too harsh. Nice lingering flavor stays on the palette.