Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA

Style: IPA

Alcohol Content: 7%

From: Healdsburg, California, United States

Purchased From: Utobeer, London Borough Market, UK

http://bearrepublic.com/

The Bear Republic Brewing Company is an American microbrewery located in Healdsburg, California, USA. It was established by the Norgrove family in 1995, with Richard G. Norgrove as brewmaster. The name is said to refer to California's 1846 Bear Flag Revolt. In 2006, Bear was named Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival. The this review i will be reviewing there Racer 5 IPA. I first came across this beer during a "craft beer festival" at Bryon burger. I was presented with a choice of five beers and i decided to go with the racer 5 (mainly due to its name and the style of beer). Quite frankly it blew me away and now i will review it for you on my blog.

Quite like the old school Instagram look on this pic

Colour: Once poured into the glass you are presented with a bright orange/yellow liquid with a minimal head. This head will settle down and leave a very small amount of foam in the glass. This foam will stay around for the duration of your drinking experience. Lord this drink looks amazing i just want to dive write in.

Aroma: Once poured into the glass you are absolutely bombarded with scents and aromas. You can pick out a boutique of  aromas such as grapefruit, elderflower, lemon peel, grass and fresh pine. After drinking craft beer for two years there is only one other beer that i have tried that matches this boutique and that is the Kernel Brewery IPA Columbus. Which like this beer is also truly divine.

Body: As this beer is heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial hops, the bitterness actually makes this beer feel heavier than it actually is. It strikes the perfect balance for an American IPA; easy drink-ability (due to low levels of carbonation) with a slightly stickiness in the after taste.   

Taste: There are sour notes such as pink grapefruit and lemons mixed with pine. There is also a ever so slight bitter aftertaste which come from the blend of hops used in the making of this brew. This helps to round the flavor off very nicely. If you warm the beer in your mouth, the flavor will actually change quite drastically. Rather than a fruity beer, you are presented with notes of caramel and hobnob biscuits. Its like a drink of two halves. In my opinion, this is one of my favorite beers and i will go back to it again and again.

Similar to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/kernel-brewery-ipa-columbus.html
Different to: http://beefsbrewery.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/meantime-chocolate-porter.html

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