Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye:
Hello one and all and welcome back to the light that is shed on that nest of vipers…I mean beers.  Today we stay in the continental United States and head to the Golden State, California, and look at a beer from their Bear Republic beer (incidentally it’s “Home of the Best IPA in the USA”, or so they say).  Going into this glass of beer I should have been skeptical since I’m not really a fan of west coast IPA’s due to their lack of strong hop flavor but I completely forgot this fact when I ordered it so I literally went into this glass of beer with no expectations which is how I go into all my beer reviews.  Honest.  The beer was poured from a tap with a nice amber color with a thin white head of foam that left good lacing inside the glass and a nose of piney hops and rye/wheat notes.  The beer’s taste starts off with a smooth citrus flavor that blends into a rye and pine flavor on the mid tongue and a citrus and skunk back end that is common in most good IPAs.  The aftertaste is a nice balance of all the flavors found in the beer and really the skunk is pretty tame and you are eager to take another sip to enjoy what a magnificent beer you have in front of you.  I declare this to be a  great IPA and that it has really flown under the radar for me until now is a mystery but rest assured dear readers, this is one beer you shouldn’t pass up on especially if you’re a hop head.