BWBB

Hey everyone,
Obviously, the world cup has temporarily taken over the blog, but a new bi-weekly beer blog is still in order. This will be the first BWBB featuring the "new" beer rating system suggested by Mr. Michael Ruiz. Each beer will be given a rating from 1 to 10 pints glasses. Looking back through past BWBBs, I have noticed that I tend to only feature beers that I consider good. But what is the fun in that? So I am going to be mixing in both good and bad from here on out.

This week's featured beer is Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA. I tried this beer last weekend at Sugar Maple. (The awesome photo above was taken by me) Bear Republic is located in Healdsburg, CA, and I have heard lots of good things; so I decided to give it a try. I should mention that the beer comes in at 7% ABV.

So, how does it taste? Honestly folks, I was not digging it. I thought the beer was really citrusy and overwhelmingly fruity. I could have used a bit more malt as well. One other aspect that I did not like was the lack of carbonation. I don't expect lots of carbonation, but a bit more would have been nice. On the positive side, there is a nice hint of caramel which lingers with each taste. Overall though, I was underimpressed. There was nothing unique or different about this IPA. I was expecting bigger things from this brew that Bear Republic claims is "The Best IPA in the USA."

Racer 5 gets 4 out of 10 pint glasses. I would maybe(?) give it another try, but I would do so reluctantly! Has anyone else tried this beer before? I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts.

Related Note: Sprecher came out with a new beer yesterday. It's called Belgian Dubbel. (Thanks to Emily for this tip.) I can't wait to try it.

Totally Unrelated Note: Look for a US preview in the next day or so. We play again Wednesday at 9am. Go find yourself a tv and a good beer! If we win, we move on. Let's hope we don't have to get into any crazy scenarios involving a draw.

Until next time, do good and be good.