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brewt00l

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The traveling beer gypsy stopped by my place last night with the gift of a case containing Hop Rod Rye and Racer 5. Sampled the Racer 5...very tasty. What are your opinions on their range of beers? Any other standouts I should be on the look out for?
 
Yeah, the Big Bear stout is very nice, and I especially love the Pete Brown Tribute Ale...it has strong notes of hazelnut, even though there's no hazelnut in it.
 
They do a great job on their beers. Sometimes the Racer X is a bit harsh. Last time I was there, I had their Sunday Brunch buffet.
 
Yeah, I noticed a bit of harsh/heat with the first few samples of Racer...as I worked my way down the glass it became less noticeable. Great bittering with a big "west coast" style hop presence.

The beer gypsy will be swing past next month so it sounds like I may want to place my order now :)
 
You can't really go wrong with the Bear Republic beers. We have the Racer 5 on tap just about all the time at our local pub. It's a good "starter beer" for west coast style IPA's. Their stout is great too and they won a few medals last year with their Apex Ipa, but I think the chances of ever seeing that in bottles is slim.

I personally think the Hot Rod Rye is ridiculously good and I try and consume it as often as I can.
 
Can't find Hop Rod Rye around here anymore. I see Racer 5 but that's about it. Red Rocket Ale is good too.
 
todd_k said:
Can't find Hop Rod Rye around here anymore. I see Racer 5 but that's about it. Red Rocket Ale is good too.

I can't deal with "red rocket" after that southpark episode. :(

'sokay...I'll just order you another Legend Pilsner, Todd :D
 
Bear Republic is one the classic examples of "West Coast" brewing. Everything is big and full of hops. The Rod Rye is fantastic. The Racer 5 is a great in-your-face IPA and the Red Rocket is a big, hoppy west coast red. The Black Bear Stout is one of my favorite American stouts as well.
 
Evan! said:
I can't deal with "red rocket" after that southpark episode. :(

'sokay...I'll just order you another Legend Pilsner, Todd :D


Ahhh! My eyes started burning when I read the words "Legend" and "Pilsner" next to each other in the same sentence...... :D
 
Hop Rod Rye was pretty tasty..... Actually tasted very close to Denny Conn's Rye IPA with a different hop profile. I might have a few friends over for a head to head comparison this evening.
 
I've had the Hop Rod Rye, Racer 5 and Red Rocket. The Hop Rod and Racer are two of my very favorites. The Rocket is a notch below in my opinion.

Hmmm. I think a trip by the ol' beer store on my way home from the brew store is in order. Last homebrew is carbonation free:mad: so I need something tasty to drink.
 
So I have had the opportunity to sample the Big Bear Stout and Red Rocket in addition to the previous two varieties.

One thing that I noticed is that all of their beers have a common theme/flavor be it from the hop selection or whathaveyou. Order of preference:

Racer 5
Hop Rod Rye
Red Rocket
Big Bear

The stout was a bit to astringent and finished too dry with a chalky/ashy note. Red Rocket was decent but could have used a bit more malt support/complexity. The Racer 5 and Hop Rod Rye were super tasty.
 
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