This one is and example of an An example of an American IPA , or India Pale Ale. Color can range from pale golden to red and often are cloudy. The American IPA is typically big on hops and often a little herbal or citrus flavor. If you get a good one, bitterness will be present. They tend to be medium in body with a mild malt character.
Bear Republic Brewing Co hails from Healdsburg, California. Tucked away in Sonoma County, which is known for it’s wine, Bear Republic is opening a new facility in Cloverdale, California. I wasn’t able to find much about the history of Bear Republic, but they appear to have begun as a modest brewpub in Healdsburg, with some ties to mountain biking. In fact, their website boasts that another of their brews, Red Rocket, is the brew of choice for mountain bikers.
Poured a cloudy medium copper color into a pint glass. Minimal bubbles produced a small half finger head that quickly dissipated to a paper thin one. Lacing left on the glass was mice though and stuck to the glass well after I was done.
The aroma was definitely full of hops on the first sniff. Another smell gave a definite scent of rye malt with some fruit, citrus perhaps? There seemed to be a lot of it though. The hops kept coming back though, as well a caramel flavor and just a hint of spice.
The taste was quite nice indeed. Hops, hops and more hops. Rye, rye, caramel and spice! A little alcohol flavor on the back end and possibly just a hint of….banana? Nah, couldn’t be..This one definitely bucks the trend of American IPA’s being lower on the malt, as the rye comes out nicely to balance the fruity hops of the brew.
Mouthfeel was very crisp. Easy on the palate. Felt medium in body and minimal amount of bubbles was just right.
I liked this one overall. Weighs in at 8% ABV, but you wouldn’t know it. Very subtle, so it could sneak up on you. It went well with the onion soup flavored burgers topped with asiago cheese that I had.
0 Responses to “Bear Republic Brewing Co's Hop Rod Rye”