Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

My name's Johnny Knoxville and this is my Big Red Rocket Ale.

Pours out into the glass with a nice, dark brown color and a full off-white head. There was noticeable sediment in the beer with the bubbles from the carbonation. It smelled quite fruity and light - almost like a Belgian Strong Ale. The taste was rather bitter though. It had a roasted/smoked characteristic - probably from the barrels or wood it was aged in - a far cry from the smell. It was a smooth beer in terms of texture but it had a very strange complexion due to the sharpness of the tastes and the smoked nature of the beer.

Overall, this was a beer that kinda went downhill as the experience went on. I was intrigued first off by the smell but then it drew very far away from this first impression. It wasn't terrible, but I didn't it that stellar. I feel like it needs to find an identity first.

Appearance - 4.0
Smell - 3.8
Taste - 3.5
Texture - 3.1
Overall - 3.6/5

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Time to venture out to a new brewing company yet again, and this time its Bear Republic. Yet another place located in California, but thankful (like our good friends at Stone) they distribute to the East coast. This strong ale pours golden brown with a slight red tint and a small one finger wide off white head. The smell is a lot more fruity than I was expecting and also has nice hop and floral hints. Light and soft front, almost Abbey Dubbel like. The taste is almost nothing like the aroma and has hints of roasted malts, hops, citrus and booze with a very subtle caramel/sweet flavoring throughout.

Hopefully we'll be trying some more from Bear Republic soon - first impressions are always nice.

Appearance - 3.8

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.4

Texture - 3.4

Overall - 3.65/5

Brew Tasting the Twenty-seventh

Tonight, we'll be testing out a brew all the way from California and the fine Bear Republic Brewing Company. This is a fine American Strong Ale that has garnered some high praise. Lising after the break, as per the usual.

1) Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

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Enjoy!

Hoppin' Frog Bodacious Black & Tan

Now a black and tan is usually made outside of the brewery by combining a stout and an IPA, but it seems like Hoppin' Frog decided to do away with our fun and just make it that way. The mixture of these two types of brews makes the resulting one an American Strong Ale since that is pretty much the broadest application of a "stronger beer" that there could be.

Anyway, this brew pours black with a small off-white head - the stout side really shines though on the appearance side. The aroma is also a lot like a stout and includes notes of chocolate, darker malts, hops, and oats. Its both sweet and bitter at the same time. The taste is nothing like I've had before, it has an initial chocolate/oats/caramel taste and then finishes with the bitter/hops/carbonated kick. Its a smooth transition between the stout and the IPA: very drinkable. And also very hard to notice the almost 8% alcohol in the brew. Interesting and good at the same time, if you wanna try something weird I recommend that you pick it up.

Appearance - 3.9

Smell - 4.0

Taste - 3.9

Texture - 4.0

Overall - 3.95/5