Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Healdsburg, California USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Pours a nice deep dark copper color with nice opacity near the center. The head was big and creamy, with a very nice half life. The smell was incredible. Creme Brulee with an over torched top comes to mind. The malt comes through as well. Full malt with a hint of the hops. Very hopy flavor, bitter. The rye leave a nice bready flavor that i thought brought balance to the bitter. It wasn’t sweet but it was also lighter than some malts. The end has a little of that burnt sugar sweetness. Again, this rounds out the trip. I was so impressed with this beer. I see a few cellered cases in my future.

Pours a golden-esque maple syrup tone with an abrupt, silken head about two-to-three fingers in length. Smells immediately of sahti yeast, loafed rye, lemongrass, hop oil and burning rubber. Lovely! Tastes predominately the same only it was a little hard for me to take; perhaps a little too reckless on the chewy side? Goes without saying this was maltier than expected. The rye gives an astringent bite to the back of your mouth by mid-palate. Seems to compliment the hop bill OK, though.

The smell is a hit to the senses like a tropical rain forrest, freshly baked bread and an explosion of hopps come through. The taste is smooth and long like black beauties maine and makes me wan to drink more and more. An amzingly refined beer that sticks out like tomato a fruit salad. Delicous

Big grassy caramel hop aroma and where I expected a big bitter palate, instead there was this full flavoured yet soft sweet fruity taste with rich juicy jammy notes. The aftertaste is bitter with just the faintest smoky note. This is a big beer.

Pours a dark amber/ruby with a bit of hop sediment, with a nice off-white head and lacing that sticks around. Aroma of juicy hops with a bit of pine. Tastes of sweet malt that’s balanced by a reasonable bitterness; would be great paired with some hot wings! Overall I like this DIPAs on the maltier side, and this fits the bill.

Bottle. Hay, caramel, bread, spruce on the nose. Poured an gorgeous unfiltered dark amber color, with great lacing, and a long lasting frothy head. Tasted citrus, floral, dough, earthy. Highly fizzy on the palate. Overall great brew!

smooth very interesting malty and hop flavor also very nice lacing! tasty beer indeed!

From a 355ml bottle on 21/5/2012. ABV listed at 8%. Pours a cloudy dark amber with a smallish head. Has a lovely, strong piney, resiny hop aroma and a sweet fruit and malt background. Has lots of sweet caramel, biscuit and citrus fruit up front, which is perfectly balanced against the rye, and a powerful, long resiny hop bitterness. Has a touch of pepper and grapefruit at the end. Fantastic beer.

In the bottle from Safeway in Tacoma: My first rye so bear with me. Tasty, with a hoppy tone, but a sweeter, harder base. Since it’s my first, please understand: I don’t know better. I know what I taste. Scent of mint and figs; hoppy taste, almost dank, but with winy dregs, almost legs. She’s a roundhouse puncher; I like that. A firm but clearly ending aftertaste. This would go well with a robust stew or ziti.

Gift from a friend in Colorado. consumed 5-19 12 oz bottle. Poured gently, turning to aggressive the last 2/3 due to the apparent lack of carbonation. Glass was allowed to rest for 15 minutes after the pour. it is labeled as an IPA, but the one I had is 8 percent. I would expect more aroma from an IIPA as is found in others. Could be due to lack of carbonation. The appearance is hazy, as would be expected in the hopping rates in the taste, and the unfiltered nature of the product. There is some hop sediment that escaped the bottle and found its way into the glass. Still acceptable IMO. However, the color is far darker than what I would expect for a Pale Ale. It seems more in line with a brown ale. The lacing is fine, and the alcohol is apparent in the glass. The head is minimal due to a lack of carbonation even with an aggressive pour. If drinking again I would start with a more aggressive pour to spawn a 2 finger head. The taste is bitter, with an over powering hop character, resinous. Finish is dry and bitter. The bitterness lacks any bite. I can determine that there is some malt backbone present, but very slight. There is a certain thickness to the beer without any flavor that I am attributing to the rye malt. Mild ethanol is present with little if any fusel oil present. The body is full, and the texture is thick almost chewy. Carbonation is soft. Finish is bitter and long. I think the hoping rates are good for this beer. I also think that this beer is very unique, and I have not had anything quite like it. The rye malt adds a chewy character to the beer that I find disturbing in an IPA. I also think that the color is too dark. The carbonation seems to be lacking.

Pours brown..not much head.fruity hoppy aroma..hAS A PINE toffe taste with a hint of lemon...very smooth drinking.. good stuff