Bear Republic Pete Brown Tribute Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

22 ounce bottle, no bottle date. Pours slightly cloudy reddish brown color with a nice 2 finger dense khaki head with excellent retention that reduces to a nice cap. Fair amount of lacing clings to the glass as well. Aromas of caramel, toasted malt, cola, spicy hops, nuttiness, and light chocolate. Decent aromas here with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toasted malt, nuttiness, molasses, cola, and spicy hops. Decent amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, nuttiness, light chocolate, and spice. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and smooth mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed other than a slight warming after the finish. Nice flavor balance. Overall this is an excellent and robust brown ale with a great flavor profile.

A delicious and robust brown ale. I would have expected nothing less from Bear Republic.

Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

22 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours dark brown color that is opaque in the glass; with a dense 1.5 finger tan head with great retention that reduces to a nice lacing cap that lasts for the remainder of the glass. Some nice lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of big dark chocolate, caramel, coffee, roasted malt, and some big hop spiciness with a bit of citrus. Strong hoppy aromas here. Taste of big chocolate, roasted malt, caramel, smoke, espresso, and a bit of citrus. Decent bitterness on the finish that lingers with caramel and roasted flavors. Great balance of flavors and bitterness as well. No alcohol in the taste and a slight warming on the finish. Medium-full bodied with medium carbonation. Overall an outstanding Imperial Stout, great flavor and balance with smooth drinkability for the alcohol level.

Another great beer from Bear Republic as expected. They put out a great lineup.

Bear Republic XP Pale Ale

4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours slightly hazy golden amber color with a nice dense 2 finger off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap. Some decent lacing is left on the glass as well. Aromas of nice orange, pine, citrus, and some caramel. Nice strength and balance in the aromas as well. Taste of citrus, caramel, pine, and some spices A decent amount of bitterness shows up on the finish that lingers for a bit with citrus and pine flavors. Medium carbonation and body. Very smooth drinking with very nice flavor and no alcohol detected at all. Excellent pale ale from Bear Republic, as expected. Delicious!

Re-reviewing this one, I got a fresher bottle. Turns out that it is delicious when it is fresh and not oxidized.

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours clear dark red color with a 2 finger light tan head with very good retention that reduces to a thick cap that leaves some very nice lacing. Aromas of caramel, pine, citrus, molasses, and toffee. Taste of caramel, citrus, pine, and toasty malt. Bitterness shows up after the finish, and lingers with the citrus, pine, and toasted flavors. Really creamy mouthfeel that goes down extremely smoothly, and is extremely enjoyable to drink. Well balanced with malty flavors and bitterness pretty much perfectly balanced, one does not overpower the other. Medium-full body with medium carbonation. No alcohol presence noticed. Overall, this is extremely delicious, and another great brew by Bear Republic. I will be having this again for sure.

I was blown away by how delicious this was as I had hoped. Everything I have had from Bear Republic has been excellent. I still have a few more of their brews waiting for me as well. Will definitely pick up a 6 pack if given the chance.

Bear Republic Racer 5

4.2/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours cloudy deep amber color with a 1.5 finger thick white head with great retention and great lacing on the glass. Aromas of floral, citrus, and pine hops. Taste of caramel malts with floral, citrus, and pine hops. Very smooth drinking, with a nice balance. Starts out slightly bitter and works into a bit of maltiness and finishes with a nice bitterness that I always look forward to in any IPA. Medium body and carbonation. Fantastic!

California has a good track record for IPA's. A new favorite I will definitely pick up again.

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20

22 ounce bottle. Pours nice deep copper - red color with a 2 finger off white head with awesome retention. Fantastic lacing. Fair amount of suspended yeast in the glass. Aromas of hops, rye, and some citrus. Taste of pine, spiciness, hops. Alcohol is not noticeable at all. Finish is a nice strong bitterness that lingers for a bit. I’m pretty sure I have never had a rye beer before, but it was a new interesting taste, and I enjoyed it.

A very good beer, not sure if it is still available. But it was nice and bitter, how I like them haha.