The Grizz
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

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From:
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 9.87%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 23, 2017
Added:
Apr 07, 2009
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
Don’t be fooled by this innocent beast. Handcrafted by the Bear Republic Brewing Team this Belgian Brown incorporates a trifecta of sugars including our homemade candied syrup. Wild and untamed this full bodied beer starts out sweet and finishes with notes of cloves and nutmeg. Enjoy in moderation; tread lightly!
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Rated: 4.06 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Aug 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 21, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by avaldivia from California

Feb 12, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of nataku00
Reviewed by nataku00 from California

3.52/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
On tap at the west coast barrel aged beer fest in The Bistro poured into the tulip taster glass for the event. Dark brown beer with hints of orange at the edge of the glass with minimal head. Not much lacing from swirling the beer around and carbonation seems light but decent for a high abv beer.

Nose is very complex, sweet stone fruits (nectarines, peaches, and plums), a bit of the the pit of the stone fruit, woody, and sour funk.

However, the taste was very disappointing, with a distinct stone fruit puree like taste dominating any sourness perceived in the nose. A little too sweet and not enough funk or bitterness to balance it.

Decent medium bodied beer with light carbonation, but the taste really disappointed.
Nov 14, 2010
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
On tap at the Armsby Abbey

1 Finger head with very dark brown color with touch of light at the bottom

N: It has a slight malt nose but some tangy sour fruit and touch of yeast as well as light sweet caramel

T: Taste starts right off with sour fruit and candi sugar, it has a light chocolate covered blackberry taste, some toasted malts and spice shine through in the middle, some chocolate malt and slight Belgian special B malts, some nice smoked malts linger in the background

M: It has a thick sticky mouthfeel

F: Finish has some stout like taste but more smoke, alcohol, and some spicey hops, with a touch of sweetness to finish

Final thoughts: This is a slightly sour fruit like Belgian almost saison style beer, that is blended with nice dark smokey and toasted malts. I wouldn't think that they would blend well but this was done really well. It really surprised me. Well done!
Aug 04, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.33/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Sampled at Bailey's Taproom on 5/28/09, reviewed from notes, color is a dark brown with some red tint, thin ¼ inch off white head, some retention, minimal lacing, aroma of oak, Belgian yeast, maple syrup, caramel, pears, dark fruits, grains, and brown sugar, starts off with dry wood-like flavors, a little sweet in the middle because of the yeast, finishes with toasted malts and has a sweet raisin and plum presence in the aftertaste, toasted, sweet, and slightly dry mouthfeel, full bodied, soft carbonation, could drink another few ounces of this and that is probably it, heavy stuff and fills you up quick, alcohol is pretty high too and you can start to taste it towards the end, worth trying
Jul 03, 2009
Photo of indiapaleale
Reviewed by indiapaleale from Maine

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had a glass of this at The Dirty Truth earlier this evening and was told it was a Strong Belgian-Style Ale. I didn't think too much of it since it seemed to exhibit some of the characteristics, now it turns out is just a very strong brown ale? Ok.

Pours a very dark, beastly brown color with a thin off-white head.

Smell is sweet brown sugar, toffee, caramel, dark malt extract and a bit of a yeasty spiciness.

Taste is very smooth and creamy and very sweet and malty of course. I thought it did have some characteristics that made it stand out from the typical brown ale. Yes, the ABV is pretty damn high but it also seemed to have some spiciness either from the yeast or the hops, not sure.

Overall, I did really like this beer and found the high ABV pretty well hidden. Another nice release from Bear Republic.
May 30, 2009
Photo of Wheelinb
Reviewed by Wheelinb from Missouri

3.7/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I enjoyed this quite a bit, but I am a fan of brown ales. It was a little sweet at the start but it finished with a distinct hoppiness that balanced it out. It has a thick appearance, almost like it was syrup but I found it to have a nice feel. I shared a little with others at the table and several people ordered their own pint.
Apr 25, 2009
Photo of surfer4life
Reviewed by surfer4life from California

3.97/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a tulip from the tap at Bear Republic Brewhouse.

A - Thick, dark and brown with a small head. Decent lacing.

S - Smells like sweet berries still on the tree, strong scents of nutmeg and cloves. extremely strong malt character with little to no hints of hops. Caramel and vanilla notes as well.

T - Sweet, so sweet it was hard to drink the whole glass. Very syrupy and the cloves and nutmeg stand out so much in the finish of the taste.

M - Heavy body with medium to high carbonation, coats the mouth entirely and keeps the pallet satisfied.

D - As this was so rich and sweet, drinking anything over 4 ounces at a time seems impossible. But still a very good desert, maybe even to drizzle this over some ice cream on top of warm cookies.
Apr 07, 2009
The Grizz from Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 10 ratings