Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye
Today I have another beer from my Great Taste trip and another brew form the folks at Bear Republic. This time around it is an 8% ABV IPA brewed with 18% Rye Malt. If it tastes any where near as good as it smells I think I’m going to be one happy man.
Pours a rich ruby hue that is very opaque barely allowing you to see objects on the other side. Three fingers of tight off white head are produced and don’t move for many minutes eventually fading and leaving a very large amount of lacing for the style. Smells fantastically of citrus hops, orange, grapefruit, pear, melon, grapes, bright floral characters, rich grain including a bit of rye, solid bitterness and a good deal of carbonation. Flavor is full of bright citrus, notably orange, grapefruit and melon, deep delicious rye, serious bitterness and a bit of alcohol. The intense citrus & floral hops play wonderfully with the herbal and slightly spicy rye esters creating one fantastic brew. Mouthfeel is clean and body is medium. Overall a quite fantastic brew. Though I have only had the opportunity to sample two of Bear Republic’s beers and both have been IPAs I have been sincerely impressed by what they present and if their other beers are anywhere near as good I will definitely be back for much more. If you enjoy bitter IPAs this brew will do a good job of showing the enjoyable attributes Rye can add to the style. Any fan of bitter, floral and fruity IPAs will be all over this one. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
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