A Beer Down Under
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

 

simple and well made beer, which is just about always the case with these guys. i love the use of the australian hops over such a basic grain bill, like pale two row and a pinch of medium crystal might be all in here, which gives the hops a lot of room to do their thing. ella hops have always intrigued me but are often used in conjunction with more robust and obvious varietals, in this case galaxy, but because of the simplicity of the grain and my now high level familiar with galaxy hops, i am able to appreciate the contribution of the ella a bit more than i have in other beers over the years. an herbaceous and floral aspect to it, elderflower and lemon balm and maybe some lime zest, its bright and fresh and interesting, even dill notes to it, nice with the more familiar vinous and pineapple sort of character from the galaxy, and with enough grain for it to be balanced. a little bit of bitterness at the end, but this remains real easy drinking, perhaps a little more body than it needs, but overall they did a great job with this. i could drink this all day long. great hop profile!

Pours a clear golden yellow color. Smell was fruity with earthy hops. Taste followed nose fruity hops mix with bready malts. Medium carbonation with subtle hops makes this quite drinkable.