Hop Rod Rye - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

zeledonia

Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

No bottle date that I can find. Poured into a snifter.

Pours a deep cherry-wood brown, mostly clear with light behind it. One finger of yellowish tan head, decent retention, really nice lacing.

Smell is floral and grassy hops with some citrus peel, and light spice prickling the nose. It's rounded, smooth, and very "dark brown" (can smells have color?). A really nice stable stage, like a rounded ball, that allows the highlights (hops and rye, duh) to poke out and show their stuff during brief solos.

On to the taste. Wow, there is some serious rye flavor in there! Grainy and spicy up front, followed by a kick of bitterness. Late on, the rye comes back in and does a little duet with the hop bitterness. Alcohol is barely detectable. The hop bitterness is more dominant than I'd like, but otherwise it's quite tasty.

Mouthfeel is unobtrusive. Surprisingly light for such a big beer. Carbonation right where I'd expect to be. Not bad, but not the highlight of the beer.

This is the first rye beer that's really impressed me. The combination of strong spicy rye and grassy hops makes for a really varied tune of grainy notes. I like it.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 02:53:19 | More by zeledonia

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