Way Late on this One

Wow, I think I just set a record for posting late. The Capone's Bear Republic night is close to two weeks old and I am just now getting to a review. If I have any excuse it's that work, a bachelor party and final prep for our wedding have taken precedence over the blog. Well better late than never. Since it was so long ago and I didn't take notes I have to pull this from the back of my brain.

I arrived at Capones early for this one, grabbing a bar stool around 5pm. Typically for an event I arrive after 7pm. The crowd was thin but I am sure it was because of the time. The list of beer from Bear Republic was great, Black Bear Stout, Hop Rod Rye, Red Rocket Ale, XP Pale Ale, Racer 5 and the hard to find Racer X. With the exception of Racer X and XP I've had all the beers on tap so I stuck with the Pale, IPA and DIPA. It's hard for me not to be bias with these beers I love them. Racer 5 is one of my favorite IPAs so you can guess where this review is going. The beer pours a hazy orange and the aroma of hops is strong. Think a clean floral pine forest in a glass. The taste is citrus with a good bitter hop smack upfront. Biscuity notes become more present as this one warms. Racer 5 seems somewhere between an IPA and a DIPA. The Racer X is a true hop bomb. Kaboom, pine and grapefruit tag teaming in a pint glass. The bitterness is well balanced with the malt presence. The hops are obvious but this one has a sweet sticky side. The malt plays more than just a background role. Out of the three beers I tried XP Pale Ale seems like the forgotten stepchild. The beer world for the past few years is so focused on big beers that a well balanced pale ale is often over looked. I have to admit I usually will skip over a pale and go right to an ipa or double. Compared to its brothers the hops in XP are toned down as they should be. The beer has a crisp hop bitterness and floral highlights. The malt creates a slight sweetness and makes it a very drinkable beer.


Bear Republic never fails to amaze me. So far I have enjoyed all their beers. Honestly it is hard to say anything negative about them. If I were to have a complaint it would be that it took too long to get their products here in PA and I wish it were easier to get my hands on a pint of Racer X.