Hop Rod Rye - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

jondeelee

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hop Rod Rye begins with the kind of aroma that makes you want more: deep sugars, redolent with sweet fruit and berry notes (orange, peach, berry, white grape); lightly toasted grains; and just a hint of freshly-baked rye bread.

On the tongue, the first flavors are confectioner's sugar sweet, and last for a mere fraction of a second before the rye kicks in, flooding the mouth with delicious bitterness. Whether due to the rye or the hops, a substantial part of this bitterness is grapefruit-rind tart, and dominates the mouthful from there on out, including lasting well into the aftertaste. Significant malt flavors are also present, cranked up to eleven to keep up with the rye/hops. Flavors here include the fruits from the nose, as well as caramelized brown sugars and Grape Nuts cereal-like toasted grains. The aftertaste is almost exclusively hops and rye. Mouthfeel is a silky-smooth medium, and carbonation is medium to medium-high.

Overall, this is a fantastic beer, and has been made by someone who truly appreciates the craft of craft brewing. It's not a beer for everyone, though, as evidenced by, if nothing else, the fact that the liquid is so bitter and tart--75+ IBUs, and that doesn't include the effects of the rye--that when left in the mouth for several seconds (as it is when, for instance, the drinker is writing a review of it) the tongue numbs and tingles. But enthusiasts who don't mind a good bit of bitterness should give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2011 17:22:57 | More by jondeelee

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