Red Rocket Ale
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Red Rocket AleRed Rocket Ale
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From:
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
Ranked #6
ABV:
6.8%
Score:
90
Ranked #8,212
Avg:
4.05 | pDev: 10.86%
Reviews:
1,184
Ratings:
2,641
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 13, 2023
Added:
Oct 05, 2001
Wants:
  186
Gots:
  273
Red Rocket Ale is a bastardized Scottish style red ale that traces it's origins to our homebrew roots. This full bodied and hoppy brew finishes on the palate with sweet, caramel malt flavors.

2009 California State Fair - SILVER
1999 Great American Beer Festival® Other Strong Ales or Lagers - SILVER
1998 Great American Beer Festival® Other Strong Ales - SILVER
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.37 by Shiredave from New York

Nov 13, 2023
 
Rated: 4.74 by rpmello81 from California

Mar 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.41 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Jan 31, 2023
Photo of harrypowers
Reviewed by harrypowers from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a translucent reddish brown with a 1F head and moderate lacing.

Smells if spicy toasted malt.

Tastes of peaty smoky malt with a spicy wheat tanginess with molasses and caramel. Medium bitter finish.

Medium body and carbonation. Crisp dry mouthfeel.

This a very drinkable, well made old-school hops and malt beer. Think of it as a light wee heavy.
Oct 23, 2022
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

4.17/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bottle, 6.8% ABV, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Beautiful reddish brown colour, low off-white head. Excellent aroma and flavour with vinous and oaky notes, also strong notes of American hops. Very good! ("Beer of the Gathering" for me.)
Mar 20, 2021
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
OMFG! How have I not reviewed this beer until now?!? If you are late to my party, I have a redhead fetish as a fellow redhead (excepting getting cheated on my hair). I have had more than my share of redheaded girlfriends & I still swear that the Navy cost me Linda Lou. A few more months with her & I might have finally won her over. Sadly, our 7-month deployment to PR in 1993 allowed her to wriggle off of the hook. 8=( I had a wonderful classmate at Pitt who went on to have a great post-grad experience at my urging at UWisco & is now a published poet ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51785411-luscious-struggle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7NqzpiqZQt&rank=1 ). Her nickname, not conferred by me, was "The Red Rocket" & I have drank this beer SO many times with her … Gifts as graduating seniors, at her wedding, as a wedding gift, ad nauseum. This was a purchase at the Friendly Greek long ago.

From the (admittedly ancient) Bottle: "Red Rocket Ale is a bastardized Scottish style red ale packed with distinctive flavors and an aggressive hop character rivaled by none. This unfiltered, bottle-conditioned [!] amber colored ale breaks all style molds."; "Brew Master Notes[:] Keep refrigerated, beer is perishable, real ale is alive, yeast is good, serve at 45 - 50 F".

Bottle-conditioned, eh?!? Vindication is mine! It's had ample time to mature so upon the
Pop!ping of the cap, a slow, gentle C-Line pour was the order of the day. It didn't generate much foam, but I did get a wee, tiny finger of foamy, soapy, rocky, tawny head for my efforts. It sank into a cap of wisps, leaving me wistful in its limited wake. Color was not "Red", but instead, Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with NE-quality clarity & mahogany highlights! 8=O Nose was predominantly malty, suggesting that the hops had fallen away, but with a trace of pine. Remember, this was "bottle-conditioned". Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. Taste was malty, but do not take that to mean "sweet" in this instance. The yeast had dried it nicely to impart a warm nuttiness, like roasted chestnuts, or pecans and even almonds. Mmm. Carrie lights up every time that I present her with a bottle & now, I begin to understand why. If it is always bottle-conditioned, then do yourself a favor & set one aside. This was like a cross between a throwback-Amber of the early days of microbrewing (too sweet) to the modern micro-Ambers (very hop forward). It was no Luscious Struggle to drink this one. My aging had smoothed it nicely, leaving it semi-dry to dry. Again, I urge aging, if possible. YMMV.
Apr 14, 2020
 
Rated: 3.33 by Gagnonsux from Texas

Oct 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Eyedoc27 from Illinois

Jun 26, 2019
 
Rated: 4.02 by thegreatnicoli from Texas

Jun 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by ian_graf from Minnesota

Jun 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by bdlusa from Texas

Jun 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4.18 by Oh_Dark_Star from Washington

Apr 30, 2019
Photo of ajm5108
Reviewed by ajm5108 from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
More malt forward - caramel malt, not super bready, could use a little more hops to add some extra dimensions. Found it a little too washed out and bland
Jan 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by heymikew from California

Jan 20, 2019
 
Rated: 4.44 by MonkeyPilates from Minnesota

Jan 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.06 by uncleotis from Illinois

Dec 24, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Dec 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by KMcGrath from Massachusetts

Dec 04, 2018
Photo of Nass
Rated by Nass from Florida

2.57/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
Some mild dark fruits, some hops. It's decent but nothing special. Cheers! C
Nov 12, 2018
Photo of HellsRanger
Reviewed by HellsRanger from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Revisited on Jan. 6th 2019 and had to update my smell and taste rating...which upped overall.
This has gotten much nicer in aroma and better in taste with the hops coming thru nicely. The feel is still a little on the dry side, but everything else makes up for it.

My bad on my first rating...never say "no again" to any brew. That is alcohol abuse. Hahaha!


This pours a nice dark redish tint with heavy foam, and if poured heavy into pilsner or pint it reacts like a nitro tap ... it sits and sinks.
As for aroma it has a very complex/odd aroma to me. It is kinda fruity, but yet has a slight burnt chocolate/coffee to it...none of which is bad, just different and complex.
The taste is not as complex, but kinda, it has a snappy bite with that scotish flair to it, but can taste the semi fruityness the burnt something or other along with the scotish ale to it, but a very nice adventure to this brew.
The feel I think is full on scotish ale...bite, edge, and fullness.
All in all a very adventurous brew, and a must try!!!!
Nov 09, 2018
Red Rocket Ale from Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 2641 ratings