Bear Republic Black Racer

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

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Draft at. Kind tiger with max. Pours a deep black with light off white lacing. Aroma is fresh hops. Mouthfeel is carbonated and medium with notes of fresh hops, light Malts.

Pours mahogany tinged deep brown into a Sam glass. Mocha head with good retention turns soapy as it recedes leaving spider lacing. Chocolate and resin aromas. Thin with dark chocolate and toasted nuts upfront turning to bitter resin and espresso in the lasting finish.

Bottle @ The BeerMongers... Poured black with a moderate khaki head. Smooth and balanced. Didn’t lean too far on the hops or the malt. Roast was in there and complimented the floralness of the hops nicely. Some coffee and cocoa too. Green, earthy hop tones and balancing sweetness so the bitterness was just right.

Draft at Stone Bistro. Pour is a dark brown, almost black, with light tan head. Grapefruit and pine. The flavor is hoppy, sweet milk chocolate, and sharp bitterness. Slight roast, but the roast is not central to this beer. Pretty good black IPA.

Dark black pour with dark copper edges and one finger of creamy tan head. Awesome nose, very floral and ephemeral with lots of citrus zest and perfume-y hops and light bitter chocolate notes. Flavor is very bitter and burnt with lots of bitter coffee and chocolate. Notes of peanut hulls.

Sampled at the Raleigh Rare and Vintage Festival. Good looking Dark brown pour with decent tan head. The nose was a very crisp hoppiness, with an almost ’burnt’ quality. Flavor was bitter and extremely roasty, overroasted in my opinion. Lingering bitterness on the tail. Pretty good, but I’ve had better.

GABF 2012
Appearance: Black with a big beige head
Aroma: Roasted malts and grapefruit
Taste: Toasted malts, grapefruit and pine
Nice. Lots of roast in the aroma, more of a IPA in the taste.

22oz bottle, courtesy of Bear Republic. Thanks, folks! Pours a deep, dark cola-brown color; creamy, sizable light-cocoa head: tiny bubbles along with solid retention and lacing; really nice pour on this. Aroma offers up cocoa powder and a bit of chocolate-covered caramel (nothing heavy) that quietly serves as the backdrop to a modest grapefruity and slightly pithy hoppiness; solid, lean, hop-forward composition. Medium body with moderate CO2, tiny bubbles; compared to something like New Glarus Black Top (wherein the hop bitterness takes over and makes one quickly forget the darker malt additions) this is a bit more charismatic when it comes to the darker malts, with distinct notes of cocoa and lightly rounded chocolate, and a bit more restrained in the overall bitterness; still, this is one of the better new releases to come out of Bear Republic as of late, and that hop bitterness slowly does begin to build and make one forget the darker hue; definitely doesn’t descend into the toasted marshmallow, milk chocolate sweetness of others; firmly bitter, and a really enjoyable, repeatable pint. Medium-length finish of grapefruit rind and a bit of lingering cocoa and chocolate; still on the dry side.

Tap at E! Burger. Rating #21. Dark black with a big tan head and great lacing. Roasty and a little piney in the aroma. Flavor had a little roast, light chocolate and a little booze (but in a good way). (2507)

Dark brown color. Lots of spicy hops and roasted malts in the nose. Hoppy mouth with considerable amounts of roastiness. Well balanced. Fun, but serious at the same time. Like so much from BR the beer can be just mediocre or good, but the balance is so well executed that it just makes the ordinary extraordinary.