Hop Rod Rye (Bear Republic Brewing Co.)

Let me preface this write-up by saying that this is by far one of my favorite beers from one of my favorite little breweries. If you've not had a beer from Bear Republic you are truly missing out!

The label on the Hop Rod Rye reads:

"Hop Rod Rye is a high performance, turbo charges, alcohol burnin' monster ale with dual overhead hop injection, made with 18% rye."

This beer is responsible for my fascination with what rye can do for a beer...especially when an absolute boatload of hops are also included.

Pours a dark ruby red almost brown color. Its nice and clean and definitely still fresh! The head is BIG, rich and foamy. Its 3-4 fingers in thickness and is very slow to seep back into the delicious liquid from which it came.

The smell is exceptionally fresh and hoppy. Lots of floral scents coming from the head on this beer. Along with the big hop presence is some malty sweet aromas and a slight hint of the moderately high alcohol content.

A nice big swig makes my mouth very happy. There is lots of hop bitterness matched with malty sweetness and that distinct spiciness that only rye malt can provide. That spiciness hits your tongue and the back of your throat in a very interesting way. Its kind of drying and provides a nice little kick. Its also the taste that lingers longest after you've swallowed.

This is a nicely balanced strong IPA. The rye is a great feature with this beer and the hoppiness this one provides will certainly not let down any hopheads.

BEER FACTS

Name: Hop Rod Rye

Style: Extra Special Bitter

Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Company

Location: Healdsburg, California, USA

Container: 22 oz. bottle

Malts: Rye and ?

Hops: ?

ABV: 8%

IBUs: 90+