Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

You don’t see too many Rye beers on the market, so when I saw this Hop Rod Rye from Bear Republic I had to try it.  Bear Republic has a good reputation for quality craft beers, which left me excited to try this beer.

Hop Rod Rye

Pour:

Beer was moderately carbonated, a nice slow pour easing into a pour at the end for a good initial head.

Appearance:

Bronze brown color, most of the head disipated quickly leaving a thin persistant layer with some nice lacing.

Aroma:

I was quite suprised by the aroma it was a unique blend of hops chocolate and cherry.

Taste:

This beer started out caramel sweet which broke into a super hoppy IPA flavor.  It was very strong, but quickly smoothed out after a couple of sips.

Drinkability:

The 8% abv was well masked by the intense hops.  I enjoyed the complexity of this beer.  Once you get past the initial bitterness of the beer and start enjoying all the flavors and aromas, it was definitely worth a taste!

Tasting Method: 22oz bottle

My Rating: 9.1