Racer 5000 - Bear Republic Brewing Co.

beagle75

Iowa

3.91/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Draft service into a shaker pint glass at Bear Republic pub in Healdsburg.

A: Clear, brassy golden color with a webwork of residual white bubbles. Light lacing remains on the glass.

S: Moderately intense hops qualities of grapefruit peel and green plant stems; otherwise clean.

T: Begins dry, with aggressive grapefruit citrus that is juicy and aromatic. A backbone of well-toasted grain is revealed during the middle, after hops qualities moderate somewhat. Spicy bitterness clings to the palate as eastablished qualities ease into late balance.

M: Medium viscosity, resinous and slightly acidic on the palate, with brisk carbonation.

D/O: While the wild-type Racer 5 seems a bit delicate and nuanced by modern standards, this triple-hopped version is obviously something noteworthy. The stolid but unobtrusive malt bill carries the increased hops load well, yet still manages to not vanish completely. This IPA serves as an excellent showcase for the Centennial cultivar of hops.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2013 18:48:16 | More by beagle75

AaronHomoya

Indiana

4.61/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Had the great fortune of enjoying a couple pints of this at La Taberna Lupulo in San Juan, Puerto Rico - which is a great little beer bar, by the way.

Racer 5000 is a special version of Racer 5 made for the 5000th batch at Bear Republic's original brewhouse. This batch was made with triple the amount of dry hops. I loved it - awesome, big, citrus, pine, lemony hop aroma. Really perfect. Otherwise it's very much like a standard Racer 5, which is a solid IPA. Light amber appearance with a nice head, decent malt backbone, though not a ton of caramel. Bitter, mouth watering finish. Easily drinkable.

This is what I look for in an IPA. Too bad it's not more available.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 00:13:34 | More by AaronHomoya