Hop Rod Rye
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Hop Rod RyeHop Rod Rye
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From:
Bear Republic Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Rye Beer
Ranked #6
ABV:
8%
Score:
94
Ranked #2,514
Avg:
4.22 | pDev: 9.72%
Reviews:
2,088
Ratings:
4,756
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 30, 2022
Added:
Mar 27, 2002
Wants:
  305
Gots:
  379
SCORE
94
Outstanding
Hop Rod RyeHop Rod Rye
Notes: The first American Rye IPA brewed in America, Hop Rod Rye features big piney aroma of Columbus, Cascade, and Centennial hops and a robust malt bill with rich malt bill of Rye, Munich, medium crystal, and a touch of black malt.
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Rated: 4.42 by Beergod420 from Texas

Oct 30, 2022
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Rated by gefinley from California

4.21/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Packaged 6/7/22.
Oct 08, 2022
Photo of RyanK252
Reviewed by RyanK252 from California

4.19/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle poured into a Bear Republic Brewing Co pint glass

A: Pours copper brown amber with a frothy tan head that settles to a firm layer and laces nicely.

S: Toasty bready malt, rye spice, earthy, herbal, pine, floral notes, light citrus, faint hints of dark fruit, and a little toffee sweetness.

T: Peppery rye right up front, toasty bready malt, spicy pine, floral notes, underlying citrus, grapefruit lemon, and orange, earthy, green herbal notes, hints of dark fruit, and toffee sweetness.

M: Just a touch on the fuller side of medium body, moderate carbonation. Deceptively smooth for an 8%er.

O: Could have sworn I reviewed this one at some point, but I'm glad I was able to snap some up. Definitely a piece of NorCal brewing history. Excellent Rye IPA!
Jun 24, 2022
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Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16oz can poured into a New Belgium globe.

A: Dark ruby red color with lighter orange hues. Super healthy head formation and retention. A solid two and a half fingers of cream-coloered head stick around for the duration and leave behind gobs of chunky lacing in a loose ring formation.

S: Juiced ruby red grapefruit, pine and resin, green and spicy hop oils. Underlying malt toastiness, sharper earthy rye spice, and a distinct crystal malt sweetness that brings a touch or berry/candy shell. Clean fermentation profile, probably chico yeast.

T: Opens with a fat crystal malt sweetness. Caramel, toffee, and candy shell. This very quickly gives way to a drying blanket of toastiness, flashes of burnt crust, and a lot of spicy rye. Hop profile hits hard and fast with a lot of vibrant and bitter ruby red grapefruit juice. Butter line and resin too, along with an oily and green spiciness. Bitterness is quite firm. The finish dries quite a bit with long lingering rye spice, oily hop bitterness, and traces of soot.

M: Full bodied with some chewiness and a very round and creamy malt texture. Plenty of raking hop astringency too. Ample carbonation scrubs firmly.

O: What a throwback. I do think this is the first rye IPA I ever had, circa 2008, but I can't remember ever revisiting it before today. I do miss rye beer in general, and feel like it got unfairly buried under the sea of west coast and hazy IPAs. This particular beer is considered a venerable classic within the rye sub-styles, and deservedly so. I love what they've done with the hop profile: the rye is unabashedly bold, and there's some interesting specialty malt character to round things out and create just enough balance to ground the bitterness and spiciness. Drinking it bakes me feel like I pulled something special out of the beer archives, but in this case I didn't have to blow any dust off of it because it was nice and fresh at my local packie.
May 15, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by atlbravsrno1 from New Hampshire

Mar 21, 2022
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Reviewed by harrypowers from Massachusetts

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a hazy brown with a small head and light lacing.

Smells of malt and caramel.

Tastes of toasted semi sweet spicy malt with a slightly bitter, alcohol warm finish.

Medium body and carbonation. Lush smooth mouthfeel.

This is an excellent old-school West Coast IPA.
Mar 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.48 by AirBob from Massachusetts

Mar 12, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by ryand14 from Michigan

Feb 13, 2022
 
Rated: 4.06 by TwilightBeerCareer from Illinois

Mar 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by Jonnybgood from Massachusetts

Feb 06, 2021
 
Rated: 3.87 by BlueSpader from Washington

Oct 08, 2020
 
Rated: 3 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Aug 18, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by doctorgary from New York

Mar 04, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by BKast409 from Virginia

Feb 14, 2020
 
Rated: 4 by Patlee3324 from Massachusetts

Feb 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.35 by CDBeerDisappear from Ohio

Feb 04, 2020
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Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia

4.4/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From notes 12/15/12: Pours a clear hazy deep amber/light brown which clears some as it warms. As the beer settles a small amount of sediment becomes evident. The pour produces a heavy finger of frothy, variously bubbled, somewhat lasting, light tan head that leaves a thin pasty wash of lace. Aroma is hop forward earthy, floral, grapefruit, pine with a fruity hint, rye bread and rye spice. Taste is nicely balanced: earthy, grapefruit, orange zest, pine: caramel malt heavy, rye spice and a hint of chocolate. Sweet, lightly bitter finish with a caramel bitter aftertaste. The 8% ABV is well hidden with pleasant warming appearances in the finish and aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy with moderate carbonation, very smooth, creamy and rich. Very, very nice.
Nov 10, 2019
 
Rated: 4.17 by Biggiekrock627 from Maryland

Aug 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by ian_graf from Minnesota

Jun 02, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by Narkee from Australia

May 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.19 by chitownfanatic21 from Wyoming

Apr 12, 2019
 
Rated: 4.18 by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

Mar 06, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by grapeshops from California

Mar 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.73 by garthbrennan from Tennessee

Feb 25, 2019
 
Rated: 3.89 by brandoneast from Texas

Dec 12, 2018
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Reviewed by JNeakrase from California

3.96/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A really smooth, pleasant quaff. The rye gives it a spicy complexity, but it retains the fruitiness and herbal qualities of a nice brown ale. Biterness is well-balanced, making it easy to drink. Nice, silky mouth feel. Overall, a fun little beer and a nice effort for Bear Republic.
Dec 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4.3 by hoponit from New York

Oct 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4.17 by vande from Illinois

Sep 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.78 by dsippel from Illinois

Sep 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by dwiech from Texas

Sep 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by JohnDon from Texas

Sep 26, 2018
 
Rated: 3.89 by SargeC from California

Aug 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Spaten454 from Texas

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 3.98 by pkkosmatka from Minnesota

Apr 04, 2018
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Reviewed by Act25 from New Jersey

4.27/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Where's this beer been hiding? I love it. Found in bomber in bodega in SF for night cap.
a) Pours a dense 1 finger cap in the smallest glass and HOLDS IT, Lasts, laces, rocks it over a hazed ice tea body.
s) IPA made more bitter, more astringent by rye. But too faint.
t) Taste is abundant. Brings intense bittering, balanced by grainy sweet, whiskey like but hiding ABV well, then cascade of hop citrus, pine, grass, earthy floor, and dank flavors. Some mollasses, dark toasted grain, long finish, with pepper, muskiness, earthiness.
f) Creamy, great mouth feel, luscious. Matches the whiskey, creamy head look.
o) Overall favorite rye (18%!) beer.
Feb 13, 2018
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Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.91/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Draft at Rohnert Park location. Dark amber with creamy head, curtains of lacing. Malty aroma, some funky hops. Taste brings in the rye, dark bread flavors, more of the hops, and leaves with a nice lasting tingling on the tongue. Flavorful.
Jan 31, 2018
 
Rated: 4.31 by TheCrowsEye from California

Dec 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4.46 by hashiru from Michigan

Oct 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.66 by malprep from Pennsylvania

Sep 23, 2017
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Rated by BEER88 from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Yup. Very tasty stuff right here!
Sep 04, 2017
Hop Rod Rye from Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 4756 ratings