Bear Republic Abbington’s Pub Ale

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: Bitter
Healdsburg, California USA

Serve in English pint

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Clear golden with a fizzy white head. Sweet malty citrus aroma and taste with a tart bitterness and a sticky finish (just like my wife).

Sampled at the brewpub on 8/6/10. Pours clear copper with a medium beige head. Aroma is of your typical English pale; very dank with some caramel and earthy hop. Flavor is surprisingly crisp with the English malt and earthy hop coming through nicely minus the dankness.

My Bottom Line:
Metallic dust mars this diseased Bitter, as apple juice fruitiness and oatmeal-like cereals try their best to take the tastebuds’ attention away from the roaming problems.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the misty pale amber.
-This had the same dirty mop touch as the other 2 “brewpub specials” I had that day, but since this is a low-gravity beer, the problem was even more obvious.
-The sturdy hop bitterness was lengthy, drying, but undefined.
-In this state, no subtleties could be found and no smoothness could be enjoyable. This was just rough and unclean.
-Now that I see Ken’s rating, I imagine I might have visited on a day when something foul was happening. I don’t know what the problem was exactly (dishwashing issues? improperly cleaned pipes?), but it was astounding to experience such problems at a brewery with usually wonderful beers such as Bear Republic’s.

On tap at the brewpub.

Draft @ Bear. Pours a bright, medium orange-amber color; the slightest haze; thin, fine-bubbled off-white head with light retention and patchy lacing; a bright, sunny-amber pour. Lively red fruits, earthy and floral hop aroma, and just the slightest hints of tea in the nose; just filled out, a touch of tanginess, and even a light burst of citrus in the middle; nice. Medium-light body; moderate to almost-lively carbonation, surprisingly; very lightly creamy and entirely non-astringent; the hops in this don’t necessarily pop (I was told there’s no sulfate additions or anything) but the hop character is really nicely presented: earthiness, floral, and well-rounded without any rough bitterness; lightly toasty, English-style malt character at the core; maybe a touch of red fruits from the yeast, but not overly charismatic. A really tasty, satisfying rendition, all told. Hugely drinkable; perfect mouthfeel. Medium finish, showing good amounts of earthiness, red fruits, and just a hint of tea.