Hop Rod Rye - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Moose90

Colorado

3.53/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on 10/02/12
Purchased 12/30/12
22oz Bomber into 20oz Tulip Pint

A - Deep amber, I have seen lighter amber ales. No huge head, leaves solid lacing.

S - Bread. Like some nice toasted rye.

T - Malt and rye up front, some good bitter hop in the middle and finishes with more hop.

M - Medium-Full body, good carbonation, refreshing, but the malt does linger.

O - Good. Not great. I expected more hop. There is a lot of malt to this, and rye. Its a good beer, I'd buy it again, and if I ever see it at a bar I'll order by the pitcher. Good value as well at <$5/22oz

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 22:02:32 | More by Moose90

yamar68

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Gorgeous... glowing ruby body with a yellowish egg shell head that sticks to every edge of the glass. Looks like something out of a porno mag.

Rich rye profile layered with evergreen bitterness, sweet and smooth malts, incredibly balanced for a rye forward beer, everything melds together to form a one dimensional, easy aroma.

Earthy and herbal hops, dirty rye, a sharp bitterness dries up on the tail end of the palate, so smooth.

Delicious stuff.

ISO.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 01:51:02 | More by yamar68

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bomber into a pint glass. Purchased in wakefield ri.

A- pours a deep amber, clear body with a generous the off-white head that sticks around for a while and leaves chunky sticky lacing. A little settling at the bottom of the glass.

S-huge breadyness upfront, alpine, spices and resin notes.

T- upfront I get a biscuity, malty, sweet caramel flavor. This progresses into a resinous, piney flavor that leaves a subtle bitterness on the tongue. Slight rye zing on the finish.

M- thick body, medium-Low carbonation.

Overall I'd call this a decent beer, definitely not what I ea expecting though. It's more of a malt bomb with a medium hop characteristic. I prefer a more refreshing, easy drinker when I have an ipa.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 21:05:13 | More by gcamparone

denver10

Colorado

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A nice deep caramel brown with just a slight off white head. A nice fruity aroma on top of a bready and caramel malt base and a little of the rye adding a nice twist. Sweet and bready, citrus, pine, and a nice hit of rye in the finish which seems to fill out and magnify that hit of bitterness. A medium bodied, active mouthfeel. Overall, a very solid brew that continues to get better each time I drink it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 23:55:57 | More by denver10

sevenarts

New York

3.88/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark brownish amber. Small off-white head with not much retention, but good lacing.

S: Citrusy, grapefruit hops, sweet caramel malts, and a good amount of rye spiciness.

T/M: Nice strong, bitter hops, a mix of pine and grapefruit/citrus notes. Blended into the hops is a peppery edge from the rye. Goes down with a sweet malty smoothness that coats the throat.

O: A very good IPA with a good amount of complexity from the rye, and a good balance between the up-front bitterness and the sweet malty followthrough.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 23:54:43 | More by sevenarts

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a deep amber with some dark brown and gold highlights. Head is white, dense, and fluffy. Drops to a chunky cap and bubbly loose collar in shorter order. Slight haze.

Smell: Citrus. Orange rind. Solid malt sweetness. Slightly overcooked and caramelized. Biscuit dough. Underlying rye spiciness. Vaguely floral with some damp resinous pine in the back. A nice overall balance. As it warms some more malt sweetness jumps out and the rye becomes a little more aggressive.

Taste: Citrus, undercooked biscuits. Grapefruit rind mixed with pine needles. Solid overall bitterness builds with each sip. Rye is pretty mellow to start, but gets a little more pronounced as the beer warms. Nice backing rye spiciness. Malts run sweet, but not overly so. Some caramel malt and caramelized sugars. Herbal and spicy. Big sweetness balanced by big bitter hop bite.

Mouthfeel: Slightly creamy medium body. Carbonation is moderate. Slightly dry.

Overall: Wait, Bear Republic can make an aggressively flavored yet balanced beer? Impossible!

Another drinkable beer from Bear Republic. Nice overall compliment of hop and malt flavors. Sweet and bitter and spicy. Hits everywhere it should and makes winter warmers cry. They wish they were this good.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 19:53:52 | More by Goblinmunkey7

heygeebee

Australia

3.8/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Can't really add anything to all these reviews, now can i?

In short, for someone who does not particularly like Rye IPAs, nor hop bombs, this is going down really well indeed.

Methink the hops have faded across the Pacific, but never mind, what is left is really well made beer, with treacle notes the most dominant(!) - yes the hops are still there but integrated in the background as are the rye notes.

Smooth as....

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 08:38:09 | More by heygeebee

Braz

Washington

4.16/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark burnt sugar/caramel color with a rocky cream head. Head retracts to a frothy cap. Aromatics are quite floral and sweet. Tastes of white wine and general woody notes. Also pick up hints of toast followed by spicy hop finish. Aftertase lingers for a while and is bitter. Mouthfeel is a little pungent but smooth and creamy. Great IPA. Leans toward the bitter opposed to being truly balanced, but it works well with the other flavor characteristics here.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 15:55:09 | More by Braz

n2185

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a slightly murky copper with a finger of off-white head that fades into a thin ring with little lacing.

S: Citrus hop notes up front with grapefruit and pine aromas. Caramel malt comes through as well with an earthy finish.

T: More of the caramel malts come through here, but with citrus and earthy pine hop flavors kicking in before a lightly bitter finish.

M: Medium body and carbonation, this beer feels a little sticky in the mouth, but is otherwise nicely carbonated.

O: A pretty decent beer, overall. This bottle might be a bit past its prime, but it was stored cold at the store. It's a little heavy and sticky feeling for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 03:34:43 | More by n2185

Vec2267

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - hazy, caramel, big tan head, superb lacing

S - hops, grapefruit, pine, fruit

T - hops - grapefruit, orange peel, pine - all there - tons of caramel and then a spicy rye zing

M - rich and lush but not in the least bit syrupy

O - outstanding hop bomb with tremendous balance and depth

I had this on tap in LA about 5 years ago - wonderful. Found a bottle at Total Wine last night. Please, oh please, stock more of this!

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 00:52:03 | More by Vec2267

SassieCassie

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This is one tasty beer.

Pours a dark red color, slight head served in a pint glass. The scent is not over bearing but you definitely smell hops with little floral notes mixed in.

The carbonation is strong, lighting up the taste buds. The taste is not too sweet with a very light syrupy feel. It's definitely hoppy, and it finishes nicely with a small hint of rye.

It's simple and strait to the point. My kind of beer. You can't beat the flavor for the price, and heck... the abv :)

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 21:35:30 | More by SassieCassie

Philousa

California

3.58/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark red, nearly brown, with a thick tan head that dwindles to only stick to the glass. Laing is moderate. Caramel, slight chocolate, and spicy, sweet rye. Smells like fermentation ended a bit earlier than most IPAs (read: sweet). Definitely a good dose of piney, slightly citrusy hops. Spicy flavor in the rye is up front and lasting, accompanied by dark chocolate and thick, sweet caramel. Lots of specialty malt additions in this one. The sweetness sticks in the back if the throat a bit, pungent and annoying. There is an alcohol aftertaste that cuts this feel a bit, it's welcome. The bitterness from the hops cut it a bit, with some grapefruit rind. Feel is solid, middling, and appropriate for the style. 

This is a wild beer. Lots of flavors are battling it out on the palate. It's a little too much, but it's also intriguing. Although I'm not thinking of drinking this every day, it's a fun one once in a while.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 04:21:18 | More by Philousa

Triglycerides

Rhode Island

4.38/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz pour into a pint glass at ~45-50degrees F:

Appearance: Pours a dark amber with sediment floating throughout the glass and along the bottom. a 1" head which dissipates to a thin film at the surface. Leaves a brilliant lacing pattern

Smell: Citrusy and piney, like a hoppy beer would be. A bit of malt comes through.

Taste: Absolutely delicious. Fairly sweet and malty, with quite a bit of rye coming through. The hops definitely come through throughout the sip, but do not overpower all that's going on in this brew. Leaves a bit of a hoppy finish, too.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy on the palette. Modest carbonation comes through and the alcohol is very nicely hidden, but not entirely so.

Overall: Definitely tasty and a fine brew to kick back and relax with. Don't expect a ton of complexity with it, but it definitely does a good job at what it is. It's also a dangerously drinkable beer at ~8% ABV. Sessionable? I think so.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 03:21:25 | More by Triglycerides

Falcon91Wolvrn03

California

4.28/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Pours a clear dark brown reddish color with some sendiment towards the bottom of the bottle. A light head with medium lacing.

Smell – A very nice hoppy smell with a bit of pine and a nice floral scent. Also a hint of sweet lemon and malt.

Taste – Taste is somewhat similar to the smell with a touch of rye.

Mouthfeel – Carbonation went away shortly after the pour. A thin syrupy texture. The 8%abv is very well hidden in the taste.

Drinkability – This is a really nice very easy to drink beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 10:21:25 | More by Falcon91Wolvrn03

macrosmatic

Florida

4.23/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a Tampa Bay Brewing Company pint glass.

A: A deep rich brown, with a small off-white head to quickly fades to foam. A medium amount of visible carbonation.

S: Rye bread and top of lemony citrus hops.

T: Follows nicely. Rye grainy malt profile with citrus and grassy hops. Hop bitterness in the hang.

M: Medium to heavy body, good carbonation sensation, alcohol well-hidden.

O: Tasty brew, although isn't a complex beer to be sure. Solid, glad to have it around.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 19:49:04 | More by macrosmatic

babaracas

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear red-orange with one finger khaki colored head, a few rings of lace stick to the glass. Smell: grapefruit, resinous pine, caramel, lightly spicy and grainy back, orange citrus note. Taste: caramel, grapefruit rind, orange, spiciness and soft graininess. Creamy feel, medium bodied, juicy, semi-drying finish. This is a killer impy red with a decent rye hit.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 04:16:00 | More by babaracas

KickbacksSteve

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Kickbacks in Jax. Poured into a snifter. Clear, oily, sticky lacing, clearly this one is hopped to holy hell. Light beige head, dark amber in color. Aroma is loaded with hop juiciness, mainly pine and grass and some nice malt sweetness as well. Taste is very smooth, bitter throughout, some grapefruit and nice sweetness in the background on the back end. Insanely drinkable for a high abv, no alcohol anywhere in the tasting. This must be an expensive beer to make, it's clearly loaded up with malt and hops. Awesome.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2012 06:20:36 | More by KickbacksSteve

shand

Florida

4.9/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hop Rod Rye pours a hazy red-brown color with a smaller head. The aroma is outstanding, citrusy hops and spicy rye rule here, along with some caramel malts. The taste is just about tailor made for me - it's got a huge hop kick along with a massive amount of rye spiciness. There's a bit more of a pine flavor in the hops than the nose let on, which works excellently with the rye. This is a big and brash beer, which is perfect for me. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and has that hop dryness that can only come from a massive amount of hops. The drinkability is superb. Overall, Hop Rod Rye is really a beer that's just about tailor-made for me. I love rye beers and huge IPAs. This is an excellent beer that really offers the best of both worlds there.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 23:25:02 | More by shand

Mavigo

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"If you wanna get the honey, you'll have to deal with the sting" my buddy just said, and its spot on for this beer. Served in a pint.

A: Pours a cloudy, amber red, light tan head, very short, doesnt last long, has nice rings of lacing, good lacing.

S: Hops, Flowers, rye

T: Straight up honey, sweetest beer I've ever had, with probably the strongest after taste I've ever had, like an IPA, strong hops, rye

M: light carbonation, the way I like it, light feel, warm, after tastes is very strong

O: It's really good, extremely sweet, yet so bitter, it balances its self out, very sweet, very bitter, should be on your want list if it isn't already.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 05:36:44 | More by Mavigo

DavidST

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Opened a 22oz bottle, I can smell the hops from here pre-pour. Poured into a tulip glass, unknown bottled date. This pours a hazy yeast filled mahogany brown with a large tan head which has good retention and leaves a lacing. The smells are of nice caramel malts, rye, fruit. The feel is medium to thicker. The taste is good, nice balance of hops and malts, you get a spicy amount of rye, some bitter hops followed by a nice semi sweet caramel finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:49:38 | More by DavidST

coolparrot

California

3.9/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Great label (I'm a car buff). Very nice color with deep dark tones of brown & mahogany.

S: Rich malty yet hoppy nose with hint of rye.

T: Very smooth light brown head. lovely hints of rye combined with the malts and floral array of a well balance hop bill.

M: Good small, tight carbonation. Very long smooth finish with a robust hoppy ending.

O: overall great drinking beer. Nice combination of hops and rye. Not a common IPA style. Bear Republic does a great job with all their beers but this one stands out in front of their lineup of products. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 05:47:06 | More by coolparrot

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a duvel glass

A: pours a brown ruby color with little to no head... Woah, leavs a decieving amount of lacing, wasn't expecting that after the little head, nice

S: beautiful tropical fruit hop aroma, mango , pinneapple, a touch of caramel and a nice rye spice aroma, very nice aroma. Smells juicy and delicious.

T: taste does not dissapoint, juicy tropical fruit hops dominate, sharp bitter pine up front into the slightly sweet caramel backbone along with a very nice rye flavor. Over which is the awesome hoppage. Delicious.

M: medium body, the rye really adds a nice feel and texture to this brew, a tad sweet on the finish.... Mouthfeel is juicy and leavs my mouth watering with hop resins.

O: this is an awesome beer, great use of everything, and the hop flavor is delicious, I live rye ipa's and this one is deffinatly towards the top of my list.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 01:23:22 | More by PeterIngemi

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

been meaning to get on this one for awhile. this is a monster beer. hands down one of the most hoppy and most complex rye beers ive had. it pours a deep indian brown color with just a bit of haze. looks pretty dense, with some light coming through, but not much. theres about a one inch off white head on it, but it recedes pretty quickly. the nose is very very hoppy. sticky sweet dank hops, oily and aggressive. theres also some spice from the rye, bready and pungent, as well as a darker sweeter malt profile than i expected when i bought it. the flavor is unreal. so much going on. at first sip its a hop trip, high alpha and mean, but that gets interrupted fairly quickly by a really distinct and different peppery rye flavor that comes out of nowhere and lasts the rest of the time. sweeter malt kicks up at the end, and the bitter aspect of the hops finally comes back. the finish is long and complex. this is a gem as far as flavor journey goes, more rye heavy than any ive had i think. mouthfeel is good, big and thick on the body, with enough carbonation to make it dangerously drinkable. there is some hop resin left in the mouth though that is a love it or hate it kind of thing. i think it makes the beer come across a bit heavy, but thats just me. this is a perfect cold weather beer, with all the necessary elements. high abv, big hop, lots of body, and stick to your guts malt. this is worth the hype for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 01:18:31 | More by StonedTrippin

DrinkMoreBigBeers

Michigan

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Did not see any date on the bottle. Nor have I from any bear republic beers.

A - Poured out a Clear mahogany red color with a one finger off white head. Head died down and left a frothy supper tiny bubbled head clinging to the sides of the glass. Impressive lacing on this one.

S - Can smell the nice distinct pine off of the hops with some citrus and a spicy zest of the rye in there. Also get caramel malts and a sweetness here. Nice clean enjoyable smelling brew.

T - I can really taste the spice coming off of the rye in this one with a distinct pine flavor from the hops. The combination of pine and spicy rye gives way to a nice earthy-ness, along with a sweet dark bready caramel presence. The alcohol comes in on the back end, and cleans the palate getting you ready for the next drink. On a side note, hops build on your palate but do not overtake the other flavors like some other big hoped up beers tend to do.

M- Medium full bodied, creamy and smooth to the mouth.

O - For a rye beer this is a must try with a lot of positive aspects to it. I do wish Bear Republic would get with it and date their bottles. Not sure how fresh my bottle is however it is really enjoyable none the less. One that I will revisit when in the mood for a great Rye IPA. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 22:47:58 | More by DrinkMoreBigBeers

tut2528

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: pours a deep brown in color that turns to a slight orange brown when held up to the light. It creates about 1 fingers worth of head formation that is cream white. great lacing.

S: pretty well balanced… slight caramel malt backbone, nice mixture of rye and hops, citrus fruits are the main players in the brew

T: very similar to the nose and just as equally balanced. Caramel backbone, big rye and hops, some slight citrus and grapefruit and alcohol is slightly noticed. The finish has a nice creaminess that draws away some the hop bitterness

M: medium bodied which is spot on for this brew. It leaves a hoppy dryness on the palate and nice carbonation.

O: solid brew all the way around. It has a nice balance in both the nose and in the taste and has the right amount of complexity for this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 01:21:39 | More by tut2528