Bear Republic Double Aught Lager

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: Pilsener
Healdsburg, California USA

This just won a bronze medal at the GABF and I was anxious to see how good it really was. So I got a pint of this at the Bear Republic Brewpub in Healdsburg on my trip through there yesterday. The pour was a clear gold color with a small white head typical of a pub pour, and very sticky lacing The nose is very crisp with malts and grassy hops leaping out to greet you. The mouthfeel is about as clean and smooth as a beer can get, and the flavor shows caramel malts, nice complex hops with citrus, flowers, and some banana. The finish on the beer is remarkable, with a light bitterness that lingers. This is a remarkable beer, and while in a way it reminds me of Pilsner Urquel it is superior in every way, which is probably why it won a medal. Seems to me to be about as perfect as a pilsener can get.

Draught at the Bear. I’ll admit that pickings were slim as they looked to be making space for their gabf roll out next week, but this was a nice pils. Gold with a small head. Bready malt and grainy aroma with just a touch of floral hops. Clean and dry flavor with moderate pale malt, a touch of spicy hops, and medium bitterness in the finish. Light and crisp. Satisfying.

On tap at Toronado. Clear light yellow with almost no head. Cereal grain and vanilla malt aroma and taste.

For a lager this is good! Pours golden clear with white head. The aroma is fruity and yeasty. Finishes clean.

Tap at Rattle’n’Hum. Totally unfiltered pour. Citrusy, lightly smoky aroma, notes of broccoli and toast. Weirdly sweet ctirus flavor, with an unusually thick body for the style. Oxidized and tomato sauce notes are apparent. I’m having trouble seeing how this could be considered a pilsener.

Draft at Craft. Wow, this one has to have one of the largest standard deviations I have ever seen. The pour was medium gold with minimal head. Nose was pale malt, honey, mild hops and citrus. Tasted pale malty, bready, with hopcitrus and a medium sweetness. Not horrible, just not much going on with this one, and the hops were too subdued.

Tap at CAH. Pours a mostly translucent almost yellow with a smaller bubbly white head. Aroma of mixed citrus notes, some spicy noble hop notes and bready malt. Flavor of noble hops, cereal grains, spicy hop notes and kind of thin.

on tap 11/19/2009 at papago. slightly hazy pour of straw yellow capped by a fluffy white head which leaves behind some spotty lacing. the smell is vegetal... not sure of which vegetable or if that is even a good descriptor but it works... along with earth, grain, slight spice and noble-y hops. the palate is very clean and crisp albeit a little boring. it is a bit malty sweet up front but dry and earthy on the finish. notes in between include floral hops, mild spice, grain and that same vegetal character only muted. it is a bit thicker in body than usual for the style (?) but easy to drink nonetheless. 5/4/6/3/12/3.0