50-best American beers you say?

I think I'll have one of each!

Perusing the 50-best American beers of 2011 as shared on Facebook by Kyle, I thought to myself, those sound good, I think I'll have them!

The first beer I crossed off the list was Bear Republics' Racer IPA... and a good first beer it was!

Yellow-orange in color and moderately cloudy I was unsure of this low-carbonation beer at first. However, upon taking in my first waft of this brew I knew I was in for a treat. It had a nice white head, and good lacing and the aroma was brilliant. It reminded me of a toned-down version of Green Flashs' IPA. Unlike Green Flash, in this IPA the hops were much more subtle and don't hit the palate until the end. The dominant flavors were rich fruit flavors like pear, mango, tangerine, and a hint of green apple.

It sounds weird to say it aloud, but the adjective that most comes to mind when I think about this beer is "Juicy". Actually, that's not too far off. Bear Republic has produced one uber-ripe fruit of a beer (don't get me wrong, this is not a fruit beer, and it isn't sweet (read, there is no residual sugar) but it does have strong fruit aromas).

It's super tasty and the 7% ABV doesn't in anyway stand out as overpowering or out of place. This is a great beer and a perfect example of a "real" beer, that can enjoyed in the AZ summers with out knocking you on your ass.

3/3rds Full Pint Glass!

Prost!

-DLux