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.