Red Racer IPA (India Pale Ale) - Central City Brewing

Dope

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a hazy amber with a good sized fluffy white head. Fades slowly with great retention but the lacing is so-so.

S: Wonderfully sharp tropical fruit aroma. Pineapple and mango mixes with a nice grapefruit. Very nice sweet caramel malt helps balance it out.

T: Tastes follow the nose. Tropical fruit up front with the pineapple and mango primarily. Maybe a hint of tangerine? There is some bitter grapefruit and maybe just a hint of pine. Mild caramel malt helps balance a bit but overall it's quite hop-forward and bitter. Quite drying in the aftertaste with a bit of pine and resin.

M: Medium bodied, smooth and a little drying.

O: A very nice IPA that I had never even heard of before until I stumbled upon it by accident. Great hop variety, sharp bitterness and some caramel to smooth it all out.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 04:36:12 | More by Dope

FondueVoodoo

British Columbia (Canada)

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: clear deep amber, similar to that of high quality polished amber set in jewellery. Delicate lacy trim around the glass.

S: Strong scent of orange flower water with a chaser of grapefruit rind. A mix of fresh pine needles round out the scent.

T: Hoppy bitterness pops in the front followed with the acrid pairing of grapefruit rind and fresh pine. The alcohol is nearly undetectable, despite being 6.5%.

M: mouthfeel is fairly thin - which pairs well with the bold smell and flavour, too long on the tongue and this would overwhelm the tastebud with bitter.

D: I find this beer best drank with a meal, particularly something spicy and capable to balance out the bitter. I choose to match this with Pad Thai, the earthiness of the peanut sauce, heat from the chilies, hits of sweet of the tamarid and pineapple play off the bitter hops. That said, I'd definitely drink this on the patio mid summer for a refresher, excellent replacement for lemonade.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 07:31:36 | More by FondueVoodoo

Mit

Ontario (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a-pours a nice orangy amber with a nice head.

s-Piney...citrus notes...very slight maltiness.

t-Dominated by hops...almost no malts coming through. The smell promises more sweetness than what is delivered.

m-thicker...in keeping with a 6.5 abv

o-great beer...I love it and will def go back to get more.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 04:22:09 | More by Mit

Sensaray

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

3/4 inch big bubbled foamy off white head with clear amber body.

Huge fresh hop aromas in this. Citrus and pine are most dominant. Slight sense of a sweetish caramel-y malt. Tropical notes hit here too, i get pineapple.

Hop spice followed by a caramel malt with the citrus finishing big with hops that linger to bitter close.

Very smooth mouthfeel light side of medium. Dry finish.

Delcious beer. Happy with the abundance of hops and the lingering bitter close, that has a hint of sweetness. Lots of taste packed in that can.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 05:15:08 | More by Sensaray

QuestionableScum

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear golden orange with a one finger soapy head that dissipates fairly quickly. Looks pretty good.

In the nose I get some bready malts, grapefruit, other citrus, as well as some tropical fruit. While the citrus notes are prominent, there is a definite sweeter malt note and a strong tropical fruit note that brings to mind mango. I also get a slight piney/resiny note.

As far as taste goes I get less citrus than in the smell and more pine notes followed by a nice bready caramel malt. Of course, there is some citrus and tropical fruit present, but they play more of a supportive role. The supportive role is played by citrus in the bitterness, and tropical fruit backing up the caramel malt sweetness. There is also definitely an orange sweetness in this beer. Very well balanced beer, although not perhaps the most mindblowing.

Mouthfeel is very medium bodied and a touch sticky. I would prefer if this were just a bit drier, but the mouthfeel is still good.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 23:52:40 | More by QuestionableScum

mynie

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours... red. Ha-cha.

Smells bready, doughy, yeasty, and then floral hoppy. Big grapefruit and orange hops bounce wonderfully against the chewy malt.

Tastes fantastic, an absolutely perfect exemplar of the style! The malt is big, bready, and assertive--almost like Rogue's double IPA, the yeast complexities are actually a big, intentional part of the beer's pallet. There's neat stuff going on here that's not hop-related!!

It's been a while since I've come across an IPA like this, where the malt profile is as aggressive and adventurous as the hops. This requires that the beer be hopped expertly--not excessively--and that is apparently out of bounds for most brewers these days.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2011 03:09:24 | More by mynie

ChristianBlack

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy light amber color with a nice colored head. Pretty good lacing.

Aromas are of strong grapefruits. One of the more grapefruity aromas I've ever smelled.

Taste is of bitter grapefruit hop flavors up front, beer then settles into caramel malts. Finish is okay, with bitter hop notes.

Mouthfeel is nice, and well carbonated.

Drinkability is good. Expected a little better when I saw the reviews, but still, quite tasty, and very pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2011 12:32:25 | More by ChristianBlack

jwinship83

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 5

12oz can poured into my sierra nevada hop tulip glass. no freshness information, but this one hasnt been sold in my area until just recently.

A- this one pours out of the bottle a mostly clear amber/copper colored body with an average sized bright white head on top. the head is fast to fall and leaves behind little to no lacing.

S- the first thing i think after taking a whiff of this is hops. its full of them. lots of pine and grapefruit. theres some orange and pineapple in here also. some sweet caramel malt faintly comes through in a poor attempt at balance.

T- the caramel malts i could taste make an appearance and provide a sweetness against the massive backdrop of hops. tons of grapefruit and pine. theres a little bit of grass and some more tropical fruits like pineapple and orange. very nice.

M- the body is a little light, but the carbonation is about right. nice and dry. nicely bitter.

D- i really enjoyed this one. its sure to make my regular IPA rotation. i just wish that it had come with six beers instead of four. check this one out if youre a fan of the west coast styled IPAs. the can makes it perfect for camping or the beach.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 04:33:19 | More by jwinship83

Soonami

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Not much crack when I opened the can of Red Racer IPA. As I pour it, the smell of oily crushed pine bark, the beer is a clear amber with a thin wisp of eggshell foam. The smell is very inviting and becomes increasingly more citrusy as the beer fills my snifter. The beer tastes solidly bitter with sharp grapefruit peel rind, a hint of pineapple sweetness and a very clean finish with just a bit of lingering bitterness. This is a very good IPA, but I don't know that it's worth of a top 10 rating.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 03:42:53 | More by Soonami

errantnight

California

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A really nice, well balanced, east coast IPA with a superb nose. Upon further tastings I might bump this up a touch on the aroma.

Pours a strong, orange copper with solid retention and nice lacing. Aroma is earthy and a bit musty, some peach and stone fruit in front of citrus. On the palate this gets a big, resiny, grapefruity bitter finish. The malt bill provides a bit of up front toast that kills the hop flavor through the middle (which is sort of standard for the east coast style), but it's a really nice example. Right there with fresh Finest Kind.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 02:36:14 | More by errantnight

Anthony1

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden in the glass with a slight haze. Pours with two fingers of head that slowly settles to a crown. Raw hop aroma, grapefruit and pine, with some sticky malt in the background. There's a bit of tropical fruit too. Flavors of pine and citrus combat with strong resiny bitterness. There's a bit of crackery malt, but this is dry and bitter on the whole.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2010 20:48:42 | More by Anthony1

dasenebler

Maine

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a rich, light-copper hue with a creamy head. Lacing and retention are good.

Bigtime aroma of grapefruit, plus piney and woodsy hoppy goodness.

This is a very nice IPA. It's actually much more balanced than I expected, with a definite caramel note and some malt sweetness. Don't get me wrong though-- the hops are the main attraction, and the flavor is quite good. Not so much juicy as piney and resinous. The bitterness and light citrus flavors create a flavor profile that is highly suggestive of grapefruit. Bitter, rindy, and tea-like aftertaste. I appreciate the medium-low carbonation and resiny mouthfeel.

All in all, an excellent beer, with a sweet can design to boot-- I love the 50s cyclist girl, and also the green and black hop vine outlines in the background. Now all I need to do is find this stuff really fresh and on-tap!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 21:42:49 | More by dasenebler

Overlord

California

4.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Shogokawada wowed me with this box o' beer.

POus a really bright orange gold. It practically glows. Pretty. Three or four inch off-white head.

Huge grapefruit and pineapple aroma. Wow. That's one fine smelling beer. Very nice! Fresh white grapefruit and tropical notes abound.

Taste is good. No malt presence, just straight-up orange, big grapefruit, a splash of bittering pine (just a splash, this is mainly citrus), and the tropical aroma does carry through into the flavor. Very bright and tangy.

Nice mouthfeel. Fluffy. No real body to it. Insanely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 05:41:52 | More by Overlord

deapokid

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours from an attractive green can painted to reflect 1950's Americana. An interesting choice of design for a Canadian brewery.

Liquid is calm and lightly carbonated with thin head and almost no lacing. Color is a bright, nearly neon, red with hints of a straw gold.

Scent is of warm hops and tart citrus. Aroma is well balanced between sweeter smells & dryer scents and manages to be quite appealing.

Taste is malty with an almost biscuit-like quality. An amber sweetness is in the forefront and it ends up being a bit sweeter than expected. Unfortunately, the hop strength fades as it warms, which throws off the delicate balance.

This brew is smooth on the tongue and low on the hop scratch meter. It's more of a display of balance than power, most of the time, before it gives way to grapefruit sweetness.

I could see this being the go-to beer for IPA fans who prefer something a hint maltier, and, as a nice alternative to the traditional American IPA, it succeeds.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2010 01:11:53 | More by deapokid

meatyard

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours out a clear, amber with a 3-finger, white head that leaves quite a bit of splotchy lacing. The ample carbonation is clearly visible.
The smell is a really nice pineapple and citrus blend with a bit of sweet malt apparent at the end of a deep inhale.
The taste is much the same as the aroma but is quickly followed by a dose of bitterness that lingers through the pleasant appearance of the bready, sweet malt.
Mouthfeel is medium with nice carbonation.
Drinkability: This is hard to beat having great qualities to support this. Has great taste, not particularly high ABV, smells & looks good and comes in a can. I hope Philly can continue to get this on a regular basis. With Sculpin now coming in 12 ozers, and still my favorite, this will give a lot of people an excellent but difficult choice.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 01:56:12 | More by meatyard

squaremile

Oregon

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

If this beer was more widely distributed in the US it would be raved about. A true west coast IPA, orange/gold color with disappearing head, great hop bitterness, resinous, fills the mouth with flavor, biting on the sides of the tongue. The nose is just a tad mild for my liking and the drinkablity is excellent. One of the best single IPAs I've ever had.

EDIT: Drink these quickly, the hops seem to fade a bit even after a brief period of time.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2010 03:52:15 | More by squaremile

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This poured out as a nice amber color with a soapy white head on top. It was a bit darker in color than I expected it to be. The head settles and leaves a pretty good layered lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer is hoppy with a toasted malt aroma in there. The taste of the beer is more malty when it's cold, as the beer warms up the fruity citrus hops start to come alive. The mouthfeel was medium bodied, good carbonation and very drinkable. Overall this really seemed a lot like a Nugget Nectar to me... I'd have to do a side by side to really pick out the differences but I really think they were similar despite the difference of style. This beer was really good even though it wasn't the freshest of cans... regardless I would drink this again and recommend it to others as well.

Serving type: can

05-25-2013 18:27:36 | More by Knapp85

RicePatchAbbot

Texas

4.01/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: A clear dark copper bronze colour, very little head is present, on top of that lacing is very thick.
S: The aroma of this beer, gives off a very citrusy orange scent, a very sweet scent I must say.
T: A very sensational hop piney taste with every sip. Carbonation is perfect for this beer, as it enhances the citrusy after taste.
M: As mentioned before the carbonation, which is mild, does add a sweet citrusy mouthful experience. Medium to heavy body, not as smooth as I would have liked.

Overall: I have drank many quality IPAs, surprisingly this IPA is quite decent, and I would recommend this to many IPA drinkers.

Shout out to fellow advocate, abbbp!

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2013 21:12:34 | More by RicePatchAbbot

patre_tim

China

4.69/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

A: Copper Brown, slight orange colour. Little apparent carbonation, thin white head becomes a film. Chunky lacing.

S: Fruity citra tropical hops scream from the can as you open it. So fruity. Tropical pineapple and papaya and mangos. Spice and pine on the end. I think of yellow jello in smell. Floral. Wow. My first this strong.

T: Again wow. Its not as strong as I was expecting from the smell, but the flavours all come through with a nice sweetness that is not overwealming but rather subdued. There’s not the overburn of say the Flying Monkey’s Atomic one, making it more drinkable and palatable and delicious. I am getting fruitloops in the mouth as an aftertaste. Bitterness is of course there in the mouth afterward, but the sweetness and balance made me not even realize this at first until I payed attention.

M: Low carbonation, medium to heavy body that is moderately syrupy.

O: Awesome. Liking it. Its up there for me.

Serving type: can

05-14-2013 12:41:50 | More by patre_tim

IdeaSpeeder

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 355ml can, poured into a glass

Appearance - Not much of a head. What is there disappears pretty quickly. No matter, the beer is a gorgeous light copper colour. Minimal lacing on the sides.

Smell - Overwhelming citrus and pine sent. if there is anything else there, and there very well may be, this overpowers it.

Taste - Citrus and pine again. Citrus and pine. You can really taste those centennial hops.

Mouthfeel - Medium to light body with pretty low carbonation. An unsatisfactory finish to an otherwise fantastic brew.

Overall - 4.5

Serving type: can

05-03-2013 04:00:24 | More by IdeaSpeeder

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Re-Review of a fresher can

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves some nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitly give out hints of citrus, grapefruit, piney resins and sweet bready/caramelly malts .

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a some citrus and grapefruit along with resiny pine hops and sweet bready/caramelly malts.

Mouthfeel: It has a medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas. Solid IPA, definitely one of the best in Canada.

Serving type: can

04-17-2013 21:28:45 | More by SebD

ChrisCorbin

Massachusetts

4.89/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is my favorite brew, a ranking which I base on overall quality and availability. There may be better IPAs, but not ones on which I can consistently purchase. The crisp taste that lingers on the palate tastes of citrus and piney notes, and the there is no concept of diminishing returns with this beer, I find I can enjoy them all night.

Serving type: can

04-17-2013 02:22:57 | More by ChrisCorbin

1hotdr

Alberta (Canada)

4.84/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Very flavorful. It is a complex flavor though. Not the hoppiest, but still very hoppy. Not a great choice for your first IPA or to give to others who don't drink a lot of IPA's. It is a bit expensive, ~$3 per can where I shop so I don't drink a ton of it but for special occasions I like it a lot.

Serving type: can

04-09-2013 03:45:31 | More by 1hotdr

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.76/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Good ipa color here, amber, orange and yellow. Nice 3/4" head on it, doesn't stick around too long, its somewhere between white and off white.

Aroma was hoppy, not proprietary hoppy, but just run of the mill C hop hoppy, and enjoyable. Maybe there was Simcoe, it was a little bit piney.

Taste, solid, not a heavy malt bill, but neither too light, minimal caramel, the hopping was solid, again, not too exotic, pretty straight up enjoyable. Peppery at times, but far from overly. Considerable bitterness that isn't a chore, because of the other flavors going on.

Grassy mouthfeel to the hops. Good stuff. Good, not great. Check it out if reasonably priced. But there's hundreds of 'em out there.

Serving type: can

03-28-2013 22:55:20 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Omnium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Can > Pint Glass
A - Pours a really nice golden color, thick foamy two finger head, great lacing.
S - Nice aroma, assorted citrus aromas, fresh hops, some pine and spices.
T - A nice bite of citrus hops, and bitterness, a lighter sweet malt, some yeast, and some dry pine. Some wheatish flavor and bitter barley at the end.
M - Medium feel, but I'm not liking the aftertaste all that well.
O - This is a good IPA right out of the can, do I think its stellar? not really, but if found at a reasonable price, definitely worth getting.

Serving type: can

03-23-2013 20:43:52 | More by Omnium