Apex
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

 

 

 

August 16th, 2016 - Bear Republic's Apex predator is a trip to Glacier National Park in the glass. It panders to the bear theme, but also offers some good citrus pine notes, plus the decidedly NOT Park-like pineapple note. I also get tastes of raw tomato and watermelon. The flavor is milder and tickler than the aroma implies, with a stickiness, some dank touches, ginger and orange candies. It's a little too sweet for me, but not far from where I'd like it to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From a 22 oz. bottle with no date or code.
L. Dark-orange and hazy with a mammoth off-white head which reduces to a bubbly cap in minutes.
S. Oranges and pineapple, honey and bread, apricot, nectarine, a bit dank, not bitter.
T. It tastes like it's past it's prime, but it ain't bad. Caramel, honey, woody bitterness, some grapefruit, over-ripeness.
F. Full body, a bit less than average carbonation, somewhat resinous finish.
O. The hop forward flavors and bitterness are barely a shadow of what they probably once were. Still an ok beer. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 ounce bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours a golden amber color, slightly hazy, white head that was full, nice retention, and lots of lacing with a nice streams of bubbles, nice looking beer.

A: Lots of fruity, tropical aromas, oranges, tangerines, citrus peel, nice balance of caramel, toffee, sweet malts, no alcohol on the nose.

T: First impression is balance, not overly hoppy or malty, subtle tropical notes like guava, pineapple, and peach skin along with light sweet citrus notes, bitterness is moderate with orange and tangerine peel-like flavors, finish is malty, caramel and toffee, lingering notes of citrus peel and slight pine, very tasty.

M: Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation leaving a prickly feeling on the palate, very dry finish, citrus peel-like finish.

O: A great balanced IIPA, just the right amount of hops, bitterness, and malts, drinkable that makes it easy to have two or three without leaving that raked palate feeling. I'll look to this each year.

a) Pours a hazy amber with a dense head with lots of lace and retention.

s) Brassy tropical fruit tones with ample citrus and creamy caramel. But too faint.

t) super complex, drinks bigger than 8+%, malt creamy caramel base layered with multiple fruit.

f) Tangy full body with moderate carbonation, and a creamy, saucy mouth feel. ABV in evidence in a good way.

o) fruity complexity, apex of their fine IPA craft indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle into snifter

Looks great, amber-orange with some good retention and lacing. Smell is malt and dry leaves. Getting the dry leaves in the flavor, too. Chewy malt, drying booze, grass, flowers and leaves.

Not a huge fan of the hop flavor in this one, maybe I'm spoiled

 

Had it on cask at George Keely, NYC.
Pours a dark amber color with a moderate head. It recedes into a silky film that retains well throughout.
In the nose there is a malty sweetness characterized by toffee and caramel. This is balanced by light tropical fruit and herbal hops.
In the mouth the first thing that stands out is the low carbonation due to it being cask conditioned. It is on the high side of medium bodied with a mouthfeel that is both soft and chewing; it makes for easy drinking. Malt forward flavors, especially caramel and toffee, as well as a hint of brown sugar that adds to the sweetness. A balanced combination of citrus and tropical fruit adds some zest. There is also a touch of soft alcohol. However, despite the sweetness, there is a bold herbal, grassy and pine hops taste that develops in the middle palate and adds a nice stinging spice to the mouth.
This DIPA hit all the right notes. I enjoyed it a lot. A fine brew by the consistently solid Bear Republic Brewery.