Bear Republic Racer 5

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Healdsburg, California USA

Crystal clear amber color with a one finger off white head that leaves some cool lacing. Light carbonation visible. Hops also dominate the flavor with very little sweetness to balance. The hops are predominately floral with some peppery spice that gives a sharp edge to the beer. It is also brings a big bitterness that grows as the beer warms. I wasn’t "sold" by aroma or appearance. But after tasting it I definitely was! This beer is amazingly well crafted. In so many ways it epitomizes what craft beer is all about.

Bomber. Pours a deep orange color with a huge white foamy head. Nose is an amazingly abundant amount of hopps that seems to be almost perfect. Nice grassy, earthy tones with some citrus. Flavor is phenominal. Great bitterness with grassy hopps, fresh citrus and floral notes.

Golden color with a thick creamy head. Hoppy floral aroma. Hoppy taste and fruitiness.

On Tap at the Beale Street Cafe in Rochester. Nice orange color, with a nice white head that I attribute to the tap. Color is a strong but smooth hop character, not biting like other IPAs. The flavor is nicely balanced. I describe the hops character as strong (as it should be) but smooth and not biting. Quite a nice IPA.

22 oz bottle. Dusty orange with a small yellow-white head. Floral lemon nose. Sweet clover and grapefruit. Nice airy finish.

22 oz Bomber. Pours a clear golden color with a white head. Light clean fresh hop aroma, nothing assertive. Flavor is big in both hop flavor and bitterness, yet lets the malt sweetness shine through. The malt seems to coat the mouth nicely. Hops linger to the end. I am liking this....

Grapefruit and orange hop aroma. Clean grains with a fairly light body. A nice tingly sensation on the tongue from both the carbonation and the hops.

Nice ambery copper color, somewhat hazy with little floaty things, hop leaf bits probably, finger high off-white head of thick bubbly froth, fades slowly to a thin haze and a ring which remains present the whole glass. Lace is sticky in large webby sheets. Aroma is oh so nice with lovely hops of piney deepness and citrusy oils with a soft, round caramel maltyness. Straight up IPA nose from the West coast eh, quite nice, could smell it at arms length. Taste has a nice piney sense with a mellowness thats welcoming; increasing citrus of dull orange oil and grapefruit mixed with a touch of woody dryness and a nice even bittering hop bite thats resin filled and quite nice the whole way through. Caramel malts keep a sweeter notion overall on the under side. Feel is solid medium bodied with a nice little creamy smoothness and fluffyness that slides right down. This beer clinched it for me. I love hops!! I've held back on wanting a hop fix, but no longer, I'm going to start hoarding hop heavy beers dammit! This was a very nice IPA! The bomber was gone in no time!