I have looked at this beer on the shelf at this same store many times. The problem was that I had to roll and beer had no part for my plans at the time. Last night, was a different story as my work day ended where the store was and the planets aligned at the same time for the benefit of me and me alone I tell you.
I bought a 24 ounce bottle of this ale with the intention of pouring and enjoying it for what it is. It is on first smell a very hoppy ale. In fact, my first impression of its hoppy smell was of a batch of home brew I made many years ago where my hop dealer mislabeled my purchase and instead of cascade at 5.4, it was centennial at 14.5...I added 3 ounces wanting a strong cascade presence and ended up with a well rounded institutional strength tongue cleaner. I did however make some neat half and half recipes with it. That is another story altogether.
My point with this and other IPA's is that when it comes to hop presence, there should be almost too much to be a really good IPA. A good IPA is like sex with a very demanding lover. You will have to work hard to enjoy it, but at all angles it is all good. At first taste, I was overwhelmed with hop madness for a moment then the malt, and I must say malty joy comes right in and balances the whole thing. The IPA is not made for balance in the basic sense, it must lean toward the bitter hops and this one does nicely. I found this ale to be a pleasant, overwhelming for the senses joy to drink. I had never really heard on Bear Republic except that maybe they have won some awards in this or that category. If you are ever in California, WWW.bearrepublic.com 707-433-2337. I wish they had this in North Dakota.
5 out of 5 points
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