Bear Republic XP Pale Ale

Brewed by Bear Republic Brewing Company
Style: American Pale Ale
Healdsburg, California USA

After the initial shock of the hops wore off and the light brownish red settled down, it tasted like a dry combination of malt and grapefruit. I thought it would pair well with Southern food. I thought it had a fair amount of sediment in the bottom too.

On tap at Red Door, Seattle, WA. I was extremely excited to find this for some reason. I have been trying to get it for a while and it is not available in So Cal. I was a little disappointed though. Aroma of sweet malt. Flavor was the same. I thought it was overly sweet although it did have a nice mild hoppy finish, but I did not like the malt flavor contained in this one. It wasn’t for me.

A average APA. Aroma was so-so. Light hops and a little malt. Pour was a dark gold...a little lighter than most APAs...nice pillowy 2 finger white head. Taste was decently carbonated...to little for me....light malt in the front and a tad of hops in the aftertaste. Not much in either and a little weak in this department.

22 oz bottle from Zinister. Pour is amber orange, clear, with a nice off white head. Aroma is bready malt and a bit of orange or grapefruit hop. Taste is somewhat muted, though really balanced between the malt and the hop. Really well made, and a nice session beer, though nothing that really jumps out at you. Cheers, Michael.

Clear light copper with big fluffy head. Subtle grapefruit aroma with a little malt sweetness. Taste is very balanced sharp grapefruit hops with bready malts. Medium bitterness to finish. Taste fades quickly.

22oz Bomber $3.99 Coffee Grounds, Eau Claire Xp poured with a gigantic head. The entire glass was nothing but foam that wouldn’t settle. After a series of short pours I finally got the glass filled enough for a taste. Bear Republic’s Pale Ale pours a slightly chill hazed golden with a never falling meringue like head. The head on this beer is so thick and sticky it doesn’t even move when the glass is tipped. Leaves huge patches of thick lacing. Bear Republic does a lot of things right but their head retention is unmatched in my opinion. The aroma is nothing like what I expected and absolutely superb. Smells like an orchard of perfectly ripe juicy golden pears and apples. Nothing else I can say about the aroma but it makes my mouth water uncontrollably. Actually after a few deep pulls I get some very pale biscuity malts. The flavor of this beer is right along the lines of the aroma. Unfortunately, the pear and apple just aren’t as vivid as in the aroma. They are still there, still juicy, but just not as intense as the smell. Light caramel and biscuity malts come through in the flavor balancing the fruity sweetness. Medium body with an incredible smoothness on the palate. This beer becomes slightly lighter on the back of the tongue than when it first hits the palate. The drinkability is exceptional. So easy to drink I’d buy this by the case if I saw it around here. Another great brew from Bear Republic. I believe they are one of the most underrated breweries in the country. Every beer they make is delicious including their Pale Ale. 9/29/07

This beer pours a light orange color with a thin white head leaving some good lacing down the sides. It has a slightly skunky/malty aroma. The flavors are very light and dry. Not a lot of complexity to this beer but it is a decent beer. Not one I would drink on a normal basis but not bad either. Cheers!

Pure golden color. Light and clean tasting lots of bitterness, minimal malt taste. [tasted next to a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Bottle)] The XP is more bitter (even though the Sierra is very bitter too), less malt. Both excellent.