Last night, Steve and I picked up a growler of Racer 5 IPA, one of my favorite IPAs. Unfortunately, Steve isn't such a big IPA fan. He favors beers like Live Oak Hefeweizen. Needless to say, his poor senses were sent into shock with this beer. The Bear Republic Brewing website (www.bearrepublic.com) lists the IBU at 75+ and the ABV at 7%.
We started the night by pouring ourselves a couple of pints.
Initially favoring it, Steve's first few sips warrant the comment that 'Its pretty good', and later venturing into the realm of 'having a hard time with the bitterness', and eventually just letting me finish his glass.
Racer 5 is a clear amber/orange color with tons of lace left behind.
The smell is strong; juicy, fruity citrus, sharp bitterness. The taste is much of the same, it's like pine needles and grapefruit. Steve describes it as 'syrupy bitterness and unsalted grapefruit'. I have to agree with that. Everything about this beer is strong; the smell, the taste, the bitterness, the alcohol (which we both noted was pretty hefty, but not in taste.) I find it to have an underlying sweetness that is strong enough to stand next to the bitterness, but not compete with it.
Scores:
Craig
Appearance- 4
Aroma- 4
Taste- 5
Overall- 4
Drink again? Yes. It remains on of my favorite IPAs of all time, and I'm glad I finally got to taste it on tap.
Steve
Appearance- 5
Aroma- 5
Taste- 3
Overall- 3
Drink again? No. Although the appearance and aroma were good, the bitterness overpowered the sweetness. Not really my type of beer.
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