Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Racer 5 IPA

Style:American IPA
Alc %:7
Brewery:Bear Republic
Country:US
Tap/Bottle?:650ml bottle
Where/When:Home, Sept 2012
Cost:$13
Rating:8

Nice slightly off white head that disappears.
Pours fairly pale and clear- not a lot of bubbles.
Nose is a lovely hint of tangerine.
I can't quite pick the up front fruit- it's an amalgam of citrus, lychee and a little pineapple followed by a blending of malts and hops- the malt is assertive without been overpowering and the hops too are assertive and lingering but not overbearing.
Not aggressive (hop wise) but likely something that would be considered divisive by non hopheads.

Damn this is nice- it's not over the top in fruit or hops but it's very drinkable.
It's well worthy of 8/10.

It's two year since I've had this beer and I wanted to sit down and really have a crack at it. I like it quite a lot and now that it's becoming more readily available will continue to buy from time to time.
Kudos to Phoenix Beers for distributing this and others.
I will aim to get the Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye soon for review (again!)