XP Pale Ale - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Soonami

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On hand pump at Local 44 as of 8/28/10.

I've had a couple Bear Republic beers on cask and XP Pale was as good as the others I've had. I really like the presentation style of the beer on cask. The beer has lower carbonation and is served warmer, which makes it more difficult to hide flaws in the beer and really allows the flavors and aroma to sing. The beer was a pale amber with a frothy rocky thin head from the sprinkler on the pump. It smelled citrusy from the hops, a little grainy and sweet. The beer tasted phenomenal. The medium bodied grain sweetness with just enough bitterness and bite.

I'm somewhat stuck with review of Bear Republic XP Pale Ale because it's a nice beer normally, but on cask it is far elevated beyond what normal people will experience that it does not really seem fair to put this review in the aggregate of what others would experience.

Serving type: cask

08-28-2010 14:27:36 | More by Soonami

Bromine

Florida

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-16-2013 23:00:50 | More by Bromine

chinchill

South Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber served in a snifter. Pours orange-amber with a light white head. Modest head retention; spotty lacing.

S: Grassy and herbal hops with some faint citrus. A solid malt base.

T: Nice fruity-grassy flavors from the hops grab attention from the underlying sweet malt with its hints of toffee. Orange is the most obvious component of the citrus character.

M: Light/medium body; mild carbonation, but enough to keep it alive; smooth; exceptionally dry finish for style.

O: An exceptional example of the APA style from a very reliable brewer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 22:53:00 | More by chinchill

drummermattie02

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-14-2013 18:19:17 | More by drummermattie02

CBlack85

South Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 22 oz. bomber into a New Belgium globe glass

The beer pours a light copper color with golden highlights. An aggressive pour yields a smallish white head that recedes quickly leaving behind a small amount of lacing.

The aroma is comprised largely of sweet caramel, and to a lesser degree citrus hops. Not quite what I expected from a west coast pale ale.

The flavor follows closely with the aroma, a bit too sweet with some bready notes. The hop profile is pleasant; mostly citrisy with some piney notes as well. While it is slightly less than I am used to in most APA's, it is not outside of style guidelines.

The body is a bit full for the style, combine that with the sweetness of the flavor, the beer becomes a bit hard to drink. While it is good, it is not suited to consuming multiple pints in one sitting.

Overall, XP is good, but with so many superior examples of the style I cannot see myself purchasing it on a regular basis...

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 00:48:17 | More by CBlack85

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

05-10-2013 14:48:55 | More by twenty5

2beerdogs

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-09-2013 04:37:58 | More by 2beerdogs

waddellc2

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-08-2013 20:06:16 | More by waddellc2

tswater

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

04-28-2013 06:30:47 | More by tswater

EFR94

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

04-27-2013 22:18:27 | More by EFR94

marct

Nevada

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

04-27-2013 03:13:19 | More by marct

LSx

California

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

04-24-2013 19:47:43 | More by LSx

twax

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.1%

04-21-2013 03:18:02 | More by twax

ZJPierce

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +16%

04-18-2013 01:04:24 | More by ZJPierce

babaracas

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

04-17-2013 03:42:35 | More by babaracas

Rick778

California

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

04-15-2013 00:37:06 | More by Rick778

nickfl

Florida

3.64/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours with a small head of white foam on top of a clear, copper colored body. The foam settles at a moderate pace and leaves little lace.

S - Sight citrus with notes of lemon and shiny of grapefruit, backed by toffee and bready malt notes.

T - Grassy hops up front with some sweet malt. A bit of toffee in the middle with moderate bitterness emerging and a finish of spicy, lemony hops and light caramel malt.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a slightly sweet finish.

D - Just a bit on the thick side for a pale ale, which hurts the drinkability a bit. The hops aren't as pungent as they could be, though they taste fresh. Lemon and toffee are the dominant characteristics and somehow it just doesn't come together in the end. Decent, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:04:13 | More by nickfl

tbryan5

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +3.1%

04-01-2013 23:21:20 | More by tbryan5

jsanmarco

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +3.1%

03-31-2013 01:28:19 | More by jsanmarco

rm9679

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16%

03-26-2013 00:42:55 | More by rm9679

AmitC

Indiana

3.84/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

Color is amber. A lot of haze and suspensions. About one finger thick head with decent retention. Excellent lacing on the sides. Translucent. No bubbles.

Aroma is a lot earthy and a lot of malt. Hops are ground and slightly old. Earthy smell dominates. Strength is good but a lot like an old ale.

Taste is raw bready malt that is mixed with some earthy hops. Malt upfront and in the middle. Finish is slightly bitter. A little bit of dry hopped piney taste.

Mouth feel is light to medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. No astringency.

Very average pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 23:23:45 | More by AmitC

DIPAFAN

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.1%

03-24-2013 02:15:44 | More by DIPAFAN

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. (1 pint 6 fl oz) bottle, with no apparent bottled on date present. Excited to try this next offering from Bear Republic, as I have been generally impressed by them so far.

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Fairly aggressive pour yields virtually no head whatsoever, and a coppery orange colored body with plenty of sediment swirling around. Second pour yields about two fingers of fluffy doughy off-white head, with decent retention. Tons of attractive sediment suspended in the glass. Nice scattered lacing.

S - Light pine needle / mango hop resin smell, amidst crisp fruit and biscuit malts. Not packing a very strong aroma, but it tells the tale.

T - Taste generally follows what you would expect from the nose, nice bitter crisp hop bite up front, with a clean fruity malty sweetness. Bit of honey in the finish. Extremely well-balanced for an APA, perfect carbonation, and not excessive on the Cascade and Centennial hops like some APA's which are basically just hop bombs.

M - Smooth creamy, fruity sweet finish. Slight hop resins. Slightly dry.

Overall, light bodied and well balanced with a moderate and highly drinkable 5.40% abv, this is definitely a beer you could session or share a couple 22 oz. bottles with some friends. Once again, although not breaking any new ground, Bear Republic continues to impress with another well-made, well-balanced brew.

Bear Republic XP Pale Ale ---4/5

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 02:02:23 | More by mfnmbvp

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Rattle N Hum. Pours a hazy dark orange color with a thin layer of head. Lots of lacing. The aroma is caramel, pine and some light citrus and apricots. Slightly bready. The flavor is apricots with some piney hops. Caramel malts and breadiness follow. Maybe even hints of peach. Bitter at the end. Light mouthfeel. Pretty flavorful pale ale thats very drinkable. Overall, worth grabbing again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2013 20:06:49 | More by PicoPapa

Schwantz

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.1%

03-16-2013 23:53:27 | More by Schwantz