Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA

Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA is another in my list of Craft Beer Connect's supplied beers.  Most come out of the San Diego area, which is not a bad thing at all.   The Bear Republic Brewery is however north of San Francisco, I believe.  Anyway, on to the beer!  That's why you came, right?

Racer 5 has an average smell of hops which is not particularly bold.  The first drink was satisfying.  The hops were slightly muted, but the aftertaste was slightly bitter and 'in the middle of my tongue'.  I'm not sure what that means, but that's where I tasted it.  The tag of the beer is "Racer 5 is an aggressive styled IPA ..." I'm not sure exactly what that means, as it was not particularly hoppy or bitter.  With an IBU of 75, I expected a bit more.  With that said, I enjoyed the taste / aftertaste and think it is much more drinkable than a extremely hoppy and bitter IPA.  The ABV is 7%.  Racer 5 is available year round, lucky you!

Racer 5 poured a hazy yellow with almost no head.  I enjoyed it both out of a standard pint glass and straight from the bomber.

To me, this is a milder flavor than other IPAs with similar IBUs, such as Stone IPA.  It has a pleasant taste and smell, but both are slightly muted.  For a less hoppy IPA, I would have expected it to be a bit smoother.  In short, it is a good tasting IPA that does not have a strong hoppy or bitter taste.  This would be a good brew for someone starting out in the IPA world.  I would drink again, certainly, but it probably would not be my first choice over some classic 'less-hoppy' IPAs.

Get yourself one and decide for yourself.

My score: 70/100

Beer Rating Key

100-90: The best beers.  Beers that I go out of my way to drink often.

89-70: Recommended beers.  Beers that I drink when the opportunity presents itself.  

69-50: Average beers.  Mostly drank only when nothing better is available. 
49-30: Below average beers.  Only drank out of desperation. 
30-0:  The worst beers.  Only drank so I can say how terrible they are on this blog.

Odell's Runoff Red IPA

I was searching around a new liquor store (Veteran's Liquor) the other day, and spotted a beer which my eyes had not laid claim to before.   Veteran's Liquor has a killer selection for a medium sized store, FYI.  Odell's Runoff Red IPA was that beer.  Being that Odell Brewing Company is one of my favorite breweries, and I was considering getting a old standby Red IPA anyway (G'Knight Imperial Red Ale: More on this beauty later), I took a mild flier to check it out.   The description is something about mountains, the seasons, and blah-blah-blah-blah.

Oh, right, "... a complex malt backbone dry hopped for notes of citrus and pine and an alphenglow-red hue ..."

Well, okay ...

The smell is definitely citrusy.  I smelled grapefruit when I really gave it a good sniff.  That citrus flavor is definitely carried over in the taste.  At first taste, it isn't all that clear its actually a Red IPA, but if you give it a few moments, the hops start to come a popping.  Odell's website says it has 50 IBU, which I believe is standard for this sort of bronson, and the ABV is 6.5%.

Runoff pours a reddish amber with a light, but plentiful, head.  I know a lot of people rate beers with a mouthful rating, but I think that's ridiculously idiotic in most cases.  Maybe I'm not beer-tuff enough yet.   I really enjoy the citrus start and IPA finish.  It is smooth and refreshing; it certainly is easy to drink.  I could go to town on these puppies.  Unfortunately it is a seasonal, running from January to April.  I guess I will need to stock up.  The liquor store clerk told me it was the last 6er in the place.  The question is, how does it compare to G'Knight Imperial Red Ale, and what are the differences?  I guess you better subscribe to find out.

I drank this guy straight out of the ole' bottle, and poured it into a Becker Pint.  I need more drink ware so I can match up beer types with the perfect glass.

My score: 87/100

PS - My next Craft Beer Connect order features two Belgium Strong Ales and the mysterious Wee Heavy left off my last order.

Beer Rating Key

100-90: The best beers.  Beers that I go out of my way to drink often.

89-70: Recommended beers.  Beers that I drink when the opportunity presents itself.  

69-50: Average beers.  Mostly drank only when nothing better is available. 
49-30: Below average beers.  Only drank out of desperation. 
30-0:  The worst beers.  Only drank so I can say how terrible they are on this blog.

Manzanita Brewing's Where There's Smoke

Where There's Smoke was a beer that I actually got through craftbeerconnect.com.  I had actually ordered a Wee Heavy, but they were out of stock.  Instead, Craft Beer Connect sent Where There's Smoke, and I'm not dissatisfied at all.

Manazantia is a brewery out of San Diego, which I'm pretty sure means Whale's Vagina.  We can agree to disagree if you don't believe me..

Manazantia Brewing Company

Where There's Smoke is a smoked ale which is "Smoked Rye Ale Brewed with Chile Peppers".  The beer pours black with a small head and has an average smokey smell.  I received the beer in a bomber, and drank straight from it, and pours into a goblet.  Where There's Smoke is 7.4 ABV.

The taste is a pleasant mixture of dulled chocolate malts with smoke and a slight spicy kick in the aftertaste.  I found the beer very pleasant and drinkable.  It would likely go well with some sort of heavier beef dish, but that's certainly not my area of expertise.  I'm definitely a fan, but probably wouldn't want to drink a lot of these in a row due to the powerful flavors.  I found a single bomber to be perfect.  Apparently Where There's Smoke is a winter seasonal ale.

I have another bomber waiting for me in the fridge, and that's a good thing. 

My score: 85/100

Beer Rating Key

100-90: The best beers.  Beers that I go out of my way to drink often.

89-70: Recommended beers.  Beers that I drink when the opportunity presents itself.  

69-50: Average beers.  Mostly drank only when nothing better is available.
49-30: Below average beers.  Only drank out of desperation.
30-0:  The worst beers.  Only drank so I can say how terrible they are on this blog.

Craft Beer - How I love thee.

Over the last few years I have really -- really gotten into craft beer.  I've always been a beer drinkers, but since I moved to Colorado my appetite for truly great beer cannot be quenched.  That, plus the fact my wife entered me into a beer club for my birthday, made me come to the realization that I should start a beer blog.  So here I am.  Reviewing beer.  I might throw in wine reviews as well, not to mention, I'm my wife's assistant when she makes her own wine!  And fine wine it is!

Beer and Games, the Beginning!

Beer and games, what could be better? Let's talk about them here! I plan on reviewing beers, games, and just generally engaging in conversations about both. Join me here for a tasty and fun journey!

This side of the blog (Beer! and Games!) focuses on the sweet nectar of beer.  See Games! and Beer! for the games side!