Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
September 8th, 2010 beckelI know very little of Bear Republic Brewery other than the fact that they are from Cloverdale, CA and get some good reviews. Particularly on for the beer I have here their Racer 5 and India Pale Ale. Unfortunately Bear Republic does not distribute to Minnesota but I am excited to try this ale for the first time.
Pours a light very translucent copper hue with hints of orange. Head is about two fingers of tight white bubbles that open up slowly and eventually fade after about five minutes. Gentle lacing is left behind as well as a few millimeters of carbonation on the surface. Aroma is quite nice with a variety of citrus notes, particularly grapefruit and orange. With decent bitterness and modest sweetness playing along nicely and distracting from the modest alcohol on the nose. Flavor is quite a bit more bitter than the aroma with solid bitterness upfront followed by enjoyable notes of grapefruit, orange, gentle peach like fruit notes, followed by solid malty sweetness leaving a clean but bitter finish that will linger with you until you wash out your mouth. Alcohol is there but the 7% ABV is pretty well hidden by the solid contrast of sweet and bitter in the finish. Mouthfeel starts rather carbonated but smooths out around the mid-palate which is no surprise based on the serious release of carbonation upon opening this bottle. Body is impressively light making this brew very drinkable. Overall this is a solid IPA that I could easily and happily drink multiple six-packs of on a regular basis if it were available in my market. If you enjoy solid well rounded seriously drinkable IPA’s you will be all over this one. With its clean light body and its sold hop characters it is no surprise this is a well regarded brew. Give it a shot and ride your bike.