Bear Republic Racer 5 Review

Name: Bear Republic Racer 5
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7,5%
IBUs: 75

2016 has already been an interesting year for beer here in Minnesota because a bunch of highly regarded breweries are now deciding to make their wares available here. It started with Prarie Artisan Ales, then The Bruery and now we've got Bear Republic. And to top it off, Perennial Artisan Ales is supposed to be making landfall here shortly.

However, we're focusing on Bear Republic. Today I've got their Racer 5 IPA, which is supposedly one of the best IPAs in America, however this claim has been established more so by the craft beer community than the brewery itself, Though on the brewery website, they say this beer is "one of America’s most medal winning IPAs."

Appearance - Hazy dark orange color with a mild amount of visible carbonation. The head is quite foamy with some great retention and lacing left behind is also quite abundant and plentiful

Aroma - Citrus hops and tangerine notes backed but by a moderate caramel malt backbone. I'm also getting some light lemongrass notes and a touch of bitter hops tucked away behind everything else.

Taste - Tangerine & citrus hops start things off which a moderate caramel maltiness. Towards the middle is where I'm starting to get some bitter hops, which linger throughout the palate. In the back, I'm starting to see some of those citrus hops start to show up, but it's mainly more maltiness and bitter hops once again with a bittersweet resin aftertaste.

Maybe it's because I've had a bunch of IPAs in my time, but I don't think this quite qualifies as one of the best IPAs in America. It is, however, a very well put together IPA and I can see why this has been a crowd favorite with craft beer drinkers across the country. With that said, I would happily have this again.

Bear Republic Racer 5 - 9/10