Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Okay, I realize that breweries love to play with words when naming their beers, but come on Bear Republic. Red Rocket Ale? I can only imagine what was going through their heads. "Well, everybody else has their catchy red and amber ale names. What can we come up with? I know! How about Boner Brew! Wait... Let's fine tune this. Let's go with Red Rocket Ale!" Awesome. Now I can't drink this beer without conjuring thoughts of dog boners. Thank you very much, Bear Republic. Anyway, this brew comes in at 6.8% ABV and the label describes it as a "bastardized Scottish style red ale packed with distinctive flavors and an aggressive hop character rivaled by none. This unfiltered, bottle-conditioned, amber colored ale, breaks all stye molds." Well, let's see what Bear Republic's Boner Brew is all about.

Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale

Presentation: 12 oz bottle aggressively poured into a pint glass. Bear Republic desperately needs to work on their labels. They almost rival Weyerbacher for some of the worst.

Appearance: Amber color with a one finger tan head. This beer is oddly still. There are hardly any bubbles rushing up from the bottom of the glass and there are some very fine particles suspended. Your guess is as good as mine as to what these particles are. A very thin film of web-like lacing was left behind on the glass.

Aroma: Quite a bit of pine and floral character with malt, caramel, and a tinge of alcohol. Even at 6.8% the alcohol aroma slightly burns the nose. I really wish the caramel malt was toned down so the floral character could come out, but I suppose that's how the cookie crumbles with a red ale.

Taste: This is hoppy up front with a nice caramel malt backbone. As the beer sits on the tongue dark fruits begin to appear. I can't really put my finger on all of the dark fruit, but I notice fig and plum. Toward the end, alcohol spiciness begins to present itself and the hop bitterness runs to the forefront. The residual bitterness in this beer is pretty high. The bitterness also carries some floral character, which makes for a very nice finish. According to my dad, this is one of those brews that is like "chewing on pine bark."

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tons of carbonation. I was surprised by the carbonation due to the fact that very few bubbles appeared after the pour. This is a very crisp and easy drinking beer. This is too easy to drink at almost 7% ABV.

Overall: I am convinced that West Coast breweries can do no wrong with ambers and reds (well, aside from Anderson Valley's Boont). The dark fruit in this sets it apart for me. It's not on the level of Nugget Nectar, but this is damn good. Now only if Bear Republic would change the name!

4.5/5


- Jeff