Taking the Lead

Brewer-Bear Republic Brewing Company

Beer- Racer X Double IPA

Style- American Double IPA

ABV- 8.30%

IBU- 100

Description- Racer X pours a slightly hazy golden orange with foamy off white head that lingers for a bit and leaves behind a thick lacing on the glass.  The aroma is extremely enticing with a citrusy fruit assault up front with big notes of tangerines and grapefruit followed by more subtle hints of pine and floral backed by sweet malty undertones giving way the apparent balance that is within this beer.  The taste is a bitter assault upfront from the hops with big flavors first, most notably grapefruit, tangerine, and mango followed by a very mellow sweet malty backbone which is quickly trailed by one final splash of hop resin kicking the taste buds before the very dry finish takes over and leaves the palate feeling very refreshed.  This medium bodied beer has an excellent full mouth feel that manages to deliver a nice hop bomb and sweet malty backbone without any sticky resinous feeling behind in the mouth.  The carbonation is absolute perfect and makes this a very easy drinking DIPA with no hint of the 8.3% ABV apparent whatsoever.  An absolutely stellar example of the DIPA style!

Food Pairing – As with most IPA’s Racer X pairs perfectly well with spicy dishes, especially Mexican and Thai, I highly recommend trying this with some spicy carne asada tacos for an eye opening and mouthwatering experience.  Racer X also pairs very well with some spicy homemade chili that is perfect for the impending cold winter nights.  Another wonderful spicy dish to try with this beer is Chicken Tandoori, a traditional Indian dish that is very heavy handed with the spices, Racer X delivers enough hops to enhance the spiciness but also enough malt to cool the palate down in between bites.  If you are looking more for a night of beer and cheese pairings trying pairing this with bolder cheese such as  Roquefort from France, Stilton from England, or a simple aged cheddar also pairs just fine.

The Final Word – Bear Republic has gained quite the reputation for wonderful beers, especially in the IPA category.  Racer 5 IPA has been on top 10 IPA lists since its first release upon the public.  What Bear Republic managed to do was make a bigger version of Racer 5 without losing any of the balance and drinkability.  Racer X has been brewed and released in limited quantities over the years and this has aided to the allure of this beer.  Thankfully this year there seems to be a bit more available, so get out there and hunt this world class beer down while you can still find a bottle!

Rating-

Where can I get it? -  Racer X was released in limited quantities to select markets in mid-October.  Those markets include: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and Virginia during mid-October.  So if your state is listed hunt this one down it is a must have!