Bear Republic Brewing Co.
Healdsburg, CA
Available: AZ, CA, CO, DE, ID, IL, KS, LA, MA, MD, MO, NC, NJ, NV,NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VA, WA, WI
Hop Rod is America’s first rye IPA beer, produced with 18% rye malt.
ABV: 7.49
ABW: 5.96
Color: 9.25
Bitterness: 78
Original gravity: 1074
A russet-colored beer with a chunky head of foam and a big, rye bread nose balanced by spicy hops. The 8 percent ABV beer has 18 percent of rye grain—a massive amount. Biscuity and bready grain fills the mouth, with bitterness coming from both the dark rye as well as the hops, with some tart fruit notes and spicy hops. There’s some sweetness in the finish, but hops and rye add bitterness along with tangy fruit. A big beer with the rye calling for Polish dishes alongside.
A tan head rises over the reddish-amber liquid. Hop aroma leaps from the glass, blending with peppery rye notes. The palate is full-bodied, even slightly thick, with broad bitterness coating the tongue like a blanket. Sweet malts peek out from underneath. The malts hold their own into the semi-sweet, fruity/hoppy finish. A riot of flavor that achieves its own crazy balance. Find yourself some genuinely spicy jerk chicken and go to town.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Internationally recognized brewer and expert on traditional beer, Garrett Oliver is the brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and the author of The Brewmaster's Table.
