Step 4: Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA
ABV: 7.0%
IBUs: 75
If you have made it this far, well done. You are well on your way to becoming a hop fiend. This is where it starts to get hard for people. If you can do this and step 5 then you are almost guarenteed victory. This is the turning point. If you can learn to appreciate these next few beers you can learn to appreciate just about any IPA.
Racer 5 is a pretty damn good beer. Once you take your first drink, the first thing that you will realize is how fresh it tastes, the second is its healthy mouthfeel. If you think back to the Longhammer, it feels almost like water when it goes into your mouth. Racer 5 on the other hand feels like it has a thickness to it that makes every sip feel like a mouthfull. Yumm… almost like a hearty meal in a glass.
The hops they use give the bitterness a wonderfully clean taste. All the flavors of this beer are extremly tight and well put together. Again, the lack of citrus really plays to this beers strength as it stands on its own majesticly malty legs. The sweetness from the malt isn’t overpowering, but instead gives the beer a really thick and flavorful foundation that makes it feel like a meal in your mouth. Even though it is a heartier beer, it is still light and crisp while it dances on your palete. Racer 5 has a wonderfully fresh floral smell to it as well. I swear, when I smell this one I get fresh pine needles in there somewhere as well. This silver medal winner of the 2004 World Beer Cup is well worth the 5 or 6 dollars you’ll pay for the 22oz bottle.
Instructions:
You can get Racer 5 at most places that carry craft beer. It comes in 22s as well as 12 oz 6 packs.
Get some sharp or medium Tillamook cheddar cheese and nibble on some while drinking this beer. They should compliment each other and you will start to notice that the food you eat has a lot to do with how your drink tastes.
I also recommend grabbing a Longhammer or Immortal and trying it back to back against Racer 5. Do a blind taste test if you can. Seriously, you will never look at Longhammer or Immortal the same way again. Have some friends over and give them the test and see which one they like better.
