About This Beer
Rye River Designated Passenger DIPA 44cl 8% is a collaborative Double IPA brewed by Rye River Brewing Company in County Kildare together with 40FT Brewery from London.
The story behind Designated Passenger comes from a friendship developed through travel, beer and road trips. When Rye River and 40FT came together to brew a collaboration, they turned that shared enthusiasm for beer into a seriously hop-driven 8% Double IPA.
The recipe brings together Superdelic, Motueka and Citra hops alongside HyperBoost concentrated hop extract, giving Designated Passenger a distinctly modern hop profile. Underneath all of that hopping is a carefully constructed malt bill of Pilsner malt, wheat malt, flaked oats and dextrin malt.
London Fog yeast completes the recipe, contributing to the beer's soft, hazy and fruit-forward character.
At 8% ABV, Designated Passenger is a substantial beer, but its emphasis is not simply on strength. The soft grain bill and expressive hops create a Double IPA built around texture, fruit and hop intensity.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: Hazy golden with a soft, full head.
- Aroma: Intense tropical and stone-fruit aromas with plenty of fresh hop character.
- Flavour: Juicy peach and apricot notes are joined by bright citrus and layers of tropical fruit.
- Mouthfeel: Full and creamy, with wheat and flaked oats contributing a particularly soft texture.
- Finish: Fruity and hop-led with a warming character from its 8% ABV.
The combination of expressive hops and a soft body places Designated Passenger firmly on the modern side of the Double IPA spectrum. Rather than focusing solely on aggressive bitterness, the beer puts hop flavour, aroma and texture at the centre of the experience.
Superdelic, Motueka & Citra
The hop combination is one of the defining features of Designated Passenger.
Superdelic and Motueka bring New Zealand hop character to the recipe, while Citra adds one of the most recognisable hop varieties used in modern American-style IPA. HyperBoost is also incorporated to increase hop intensity without simply loading the beer with additional plant material.
Together, they create the expressive fruit character at the heart of the beer, with tropical fruit, stone fruit and citrus all coming through.
The hops are supported by a deliberately soft grain bill. Pilsner malt provides the foundation, while wheat malt and flaked oats add body and texture. Dextrin malt provides additional structure, helping the beer retain a satisfying mouthfeel despite its substantial hopping.
London Fog yeast is particularly well suited to this style of brewing, helping reinforce the soft, hazy and fruit-forward character expected from a contemporary DIPA.
If big, juicy and aromatic beers are your thing, browse more IPA & Pale Ale available from TheCru.ie.
A Rye River & 40FT Collaboration
Designated Passenger brings together Rye River Brewing Company and London's 40FT Brewery.
The collaboration grew from friendship rather than simply putting two brewery names onto the same can. Travel, beer and road trips brought the teams together, with Designated Passenger becoming the beer created from that relationship.
The result also fits naturally into Rye River's seasonal and experimental releases. While the brewery maintains a well-established core range, its seasonal beers provide room to explore different ingredients, brewing techniques and collaborations.
For craft beer drinkers, collaborative releases offer an opportunity to try something outside the breweries' regular ranges, often combining different brewing ideas and approaches in a beer made specifically for the occasion.
Food Pairings
An 8% Double IPA has enough flavour and body to work alongside some seriously flavourful food.
Spicy fried chicken is an excellent match. The juicy fruit character provides contrast against chilli and spice, while the beer's fuller body stands up to the richness of fried food.
Designated Passenger is also well suited to loaded burgers, barbecue pork, spicy tacos and strongly flavoured pizza. Rich and savoury dishes give the beer's tropical and stone-fruit character something substantial to work against.
For cheese, try mature cheddar or a punchy blue cheese. The saltiness and richness of stronger cheeses can balance the fruit and strength of the DIPA particularly well.
About Rye River Brewing Company
Rye River Brewing Company is an independent Irish brewery based in Celbridge, County Kildare.
The brewery produces a broad selection of beer styles, ranging from approachable lagers and stouts through Pale Ales and IPAs to more experimental seasonal releases. Its seasonal range gives the brewing team an opportunity to work with new hop varieties, techniques and collaborations alongside its established beers.
Designated Passenger showcases the brewery's contemporary hop-focused side. Its combination of modern hop varieties, concentrated hop products, oats, wheat and expressive yeast creates a beer very different from a traditional bitter, clear Double IPA.
For more beers produced by independent breweries around the country, browse our Irish craft beer selection.
Who Is Designated Passenger For?
This is one for drinkers who like their IPAs big, soft and packed with hop flavour.
At 8% ABV, Designated Passenger is considerably stronger than a standard Pale Ale or IPA, so it is best approached as a beer to slow down and enjoy rather than simply as a thirst quencher.
Fans of hazy Double IPAs, New England-style beers and fruit-forward modern hopping should find plenty to explore in the combination of Superdelic, Motueka and Citra.
Serve chilled and pour into a clean beer glass to give the hop aromas plenty of room to develop.
Try More Like This
If you enjoy Designated Passenger's combination of juicy hops, soft body and Double IPA strength, explore our wider IPA & Pale Ale selection for more Irish and international IPAs, DIPAs and Pale Ales.
You can also browse our complete Craft Beer & Craft Cider collection for more new releases, seasonal beers and independent breweries.
Shop the best of craft beer Ireland and from around the world online with TheCru.ie or in our Dublin craft beer store, Carry Out Tyrrelstown in Dublin 15.