Racer 7 Hazy IPA
Bear Republic Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

Perfect beer for hazy days in San Leandro fruity nose, nice green mouth fill golden hazy color can really go on with that! Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a hazy yellow color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of citrus, tropical fruits. Taste is the same as the aroma, mild bitterness. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is a pretty good beer.

It starts by emptying the contents of two twelve ounce brown bottles into a clear glass liter mug. Those twenty-four ounces next rest inside a clear glass liter mug. It was a very pleasant dual pour. First, there was no starchy white wheat induced foam produced. The brew is truly hazy, but not mainly because of wheat. Instead of foam, there's a very modest off-white head. It sits on top an orange-amber liquid that is hazy, yet bright and evenly colored. Like most hazies, it's not pungent, but there is a West Coast piney hop presence to smell. This also carries nice piney references to its hopping. It's soften by the hazing starches, but it's definitely there and provides most of the taste. Still, the mouthfeel is as full bodied and smooth as should be from this style. Despite the even less than modest head, the modest glass lacing is modestly stratified. All this is well and good for a barley reduced brew. But, the earthy malt backbone, so necessary for a great IPA, even hazy American ones, just isn't there. So, it's a single layer taste, albeit a pleasant one. This isn't going to give your taste buds a delightful workout. Overall, it's pretty good to look at, poured nicely, has a nicely hopped flavor and brings a decent mouthfeel. It comes up short in its depth of flavor, as the starchy taste provided is thin and shallowy sweet.

Bottle poured into a Bear Republic Brewing CO pint glass

A: Pours golden orange amber with a frothy off white head that settles to a light layer and laces nicely.

S: Tropical and stone fruit, solid hit of watermelon, citrus, a touch of resinous pine, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

T: Juicy citrus, big time orange plus some lemon and grapefruit, tropical and orchard fruit, watermelon, mango, peach, apricot, pear, and a hint of guava, a touch of resinous pine, biscuity malt, and caramel sweetness.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, somewhat soft on the palate.

O: I'm normally not big on El Dorado hops, but they bring a nice extra dimension to the Citra and Mosaic here.