Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA ....

Tonight I will have a beer from a brewery I haven't tried yet: Bear Republic Brewing Company.  It is a Racer 5 India Pale Ale.  7% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  Their web site shows 75+ IBUs.

Racer 5 poured with a small, off-white head.  Beer color is golden, and there is a fair amount of fine sediment in the glass.  The aroma has some grapefruity citrus and maybe a little pine, but is not overly sharp.  The taste has more pronounced grapefruit and pine, which give it a nice dry, bitterness on the back of the tongue.  Enough malt to balance things out, but the hops are still predominant.  A little caramel sweetness.  Medium to full bodied.  The aftertaste leaves the dry bitterness on the back of the tongue.  This is a smooth, flavorful IPA that I would definitely drink again.   

Bear Republic Brewing Company

Cloverdale, California

www.bearrepublic.com

Tommyknocker Maple Nut ....

Tonight I will have a Maple Nut Brown Ale, from Tommyknocker Brewery.  The twelve ounce bottle shows 4.5% ABV and 20 IBUs.  It is brewed with pure maple syrup.

This beer poured with a small, almost tan head.  Beer color is a darker brown.  When held up to the light, you can see red highlights and some fine sediment in the glass.  The aroma has some nice mellow cocoa, some bread.  There is what seems to be an alcohol scent, but this is pretty low in alcohol so maybe its more of a fermented dark fruit aroma.  I do get a little maple/brown sugar in the aroma as well.  The taste has some malt, cocoa, and a mild sweetness.  I don't really get the maple as a taste.  Mild to medium bodied.  A little "thin" in the mouth.  Slight cocoa aftertaste.

Tommyknocker Brewery

Idaho Springs, Colorado

www.tommyknocker.com

Great Divide Rumble ....

Tonight's beer is a Rumble, Oak Aged India Pale Ale, from Great Divide Brewing Company.  The twelve ounce bottle shows 7.1% ABV.

Rumble poured with a medium, creamy colored head.  Beer color is an amber/copper.  The aroma has some mild citrus/pine, but it is mellow and sweet, more like an imperial IPA.  Also some honey, caramel.  Medium bodied.  The oak is present in the taste.  The hops are there, and add a bitterness, but the sharp citrus or pine notes seem to be mellowed by the oak.  Malt, bread, caramel and vanilla.  There is an overall warmth.    The aftertaste leaves you with some bitterness and a malty vanilla.  A nice mellow IPA, but I prefer a little more citrus in the taste.

Great Divide Brewing Company

Denver, Colorado

www.greatdivide.com

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale ....

Friday night and time for a big beer.  Tonight I will have Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale from Stone Brewing Company.  The 1 pint, 6 ounce bottle shows 8.7% ABV.  The Stone web site lists 90 IBUs.

This beer poured with a medium, chocolaty brown head.  Beer color is a dark blackish brown.  When held up to the light, the tiniest amount of light can be seen through the sides of the glass.  The appearance is that of a dark porter, or a stout.  But the aroma has the orange and grapefruit sweetness of a very smooth IPA, or more like a double IPA.  The taste has the citrus and pine of an IPA, but there is some heavier roasted malt in the background more like a stout, with a little chocolate.  There is a nice pronounced bitterness throughout.  The higher alcohol is present, but the complexity hides it well.  Medium to full bodied.  The aftertaste leaves you with some bitter and a little cocoa.  This is a very interesting and tasty beer.  

Stone Brewing Company

Escondido, California

www.stonebrew.com

Full Sail Limited Edition Lager 05 ....

Today's beer is the Limited Edition Lager 05 from Full Sail Brewing Company.  5.6% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows 28 IBUs.  They describe it as an amber lager.

This beer poured with a very thin, quickly dissipating head that appeared creamy in color.  Beer color is a brownish copper.  The aroma is toasted malt and caramel.  Mild to medium bodied.  The taste is much the same as the aroma, with toasted malt and caramel.  There is also breadiness, a little spice and a slight bitterness.  The aftertaste leaves you with a little spice and bitterness.   

Full Sail Brewing Company

Hood Rover, Oregon

www.fullsailbrewing.com

North Coast Scrimshaw ....

Today I will have a Scrimshaw, Pilsner Style Beer, from North Coast Brewing Company.  Twelve ounce bottle.  Their web site shows 4.4% ABV and 22 IBUs.

Scrimshaw poured with a small, off-white head.  Beer color is a medium yellow.  The aroma is milder, with some grains, and a little citrus/fruit.  Though not usually a big fan of pilsners, I like this.  It has some nice malt and grain up front, then some citrus.  It thins out towards the finish, but doesn't seem to get "grassy" like some other milder beers.  There is a little bitterness, but it balances with everything else and doesn't really make you think "bitter".  A very mild grain and bitterness in the aftertaste.  For a milder beer, I could drink several of these.      

North Coast Brewing Company

Fort Bragg, California

www.northcoastbrewing.com

Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager ....

This evening I will try a Strawberry Harvest Lager from Abita Brewing Company.  4.2% ABV is listed on the twelve ounce bottle.  The web site shows IBUs at 13.

This beer poured with a small, white head.  Beer color is a paler yellow, similar to lemonade.  The aroma has a real strawberry sweetness to it.  For some reason, it reminds me of strawberry icing.  There is some malt and grains in the taste, but the strawberry really takes over quickly.  Its not completely overpowering, but very "up front".  The finish is somewhat dry.  Very little aftertaste, maybe just a little strawberry.  This beer is more fruity than I like, but I have to say the strawberry is very "natural" tasting and pleasant.

Abita Brewing Company

Abita Springs, Louisiana

www.abita.com