11
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

Still clearing out the Bear Republic notes. Another one of those heavy malt hoppy beers from the Republic. This one had the trademark light brown, dark orange = auburn kind of vibe going for it. Leaned grapefruit of the citrus stuff first.

More of the sweeter citrus stuff came through in the taste. Still had that huge crystal malt profile that made for a thick mouthfeel. Its a super huge bitter and malt bomb. Not a lot of fine touches to it. Just monstrous.

 

 

12oz goblet off the tap. Hazy medium-dark amber in color, with a small amount of head. Very little lacing as the glass empties. Legs, however.

The smell is (surprise!) primarily hop-driven. There is a tinge of citrus, a little floral scent, but mainly this is a nose-searing hoppy aroma. I've whiffed more stronger hop scents before, but this is par for the course for a double IPA.

What you taste is also primarily hops. There is a nice body on the front with some citrus tones, but it doesn't take long for the hops to come in and obliterate whatever subtleties you might have sensed. The bitterness builds as the glass empties.

As I feel about most blatantly hop-driven ales, the mouthfeel deteriorates as you drink, the bitterness of the hops overpowering all, leaving your tongue and cheeks a little raw. There is body here though; it can stand a swish or two around the mouth while you pick up some fruity and floral undertones.

Overall, this appears to be a standard Imperial/Double IPA. You asked for hops; you get 'em. Nothing in particular distinguishes this beer though. And like most strong IPAs, it isn't something you drink all night long.

I'm not sure where this beer fits in the Bear Republic spectrum. Is it 11, like one after 10 (i.e. X), which is twice Racer 5?

Had a 12 ounce pour if this in Manhattan. Good flavor, Great aroma. Good appearance. I'm not sure, however, how it differs from Racer 10 and why they introduced it.

Source/Serving: Draft.

Smell: pine and pear, though not too intense. A hint of spiciness. Notes of orange come through as it warms.

Taste: Smooth brown sugar malts at first, then quite crushing bitterness w/ an orange edge. As you acclimatize to the bitterness and as it warms, alcohol makes an appearance making this reminiscent of a mimosa. Finish is quick, semisweet actually and a little oily.

On tap at the 2010 Hayward Bistro DIPA Festival.

Apricot pour with citrus aroma, mainly orange and grapefruit. Hmmmm. The taste is very bitter and almost sour. Not sure why all the sourness is present in this DIPA. There is also a slight spicy character in there and some sour grapefruit?? Listed as 8.3% this was difficult for me to drink because of the ever present sour aspect. If it was classified as a sour ale that would be fine but it wasn't and therefore being true to the style, it wasn't happening.

Overall I just wasn't feeling this beer. I love Bear Republic but this was far from one of my favorites from them.

Draft, The Bistro, DIPA Festival. Mildly disappointing but not bad. I was more disappointed that neither of the Bear Republic beers at the festival really wowed me. This beer was enjoyable in its own right but a bit overshadowed on the day. 11 has more malt presence than I was expecting. The flavor is mostly a fairly standard pine and grapefruit mix of hop notes. The specialty malt brings some sweetness, but it's fairly tame. There just wasn't enough going to stand out from the pack. It's an amber-colored beer, rather dark for the day, with an off-white head. Good bitter finish.

Another BR first. A little stronger than the Five Zero, but very similar, again, a darker orange and brown hue than most beers.

Aroma remained consistent, again, more grapefruit than the later orangey citrus flavor that came through taste wise. A little bigger malt profile to back it up, additional bitterness, while not going into the unbalanced for the sake of bragging about ibu #'s.

Mouthfeel, consistent, challenging, yet drinkable.