Many of you know that I normally don’t go after an IPA.  I find rye beers interesting, though, so I struck a compromise.  Hop Rod is a Rye P.A. of sorts, and it’s not something I would normally pick up.  However, since it was “Gamble with us Saturday,” I decided that this might be just the beer for the occasion—and who knows, I might be able to find out whether or not it was actually a good beer.  I’ve reviewed one or two other things by Bear Republic, and they’ve been okay but not great, so I was hoping that my gamble wouldn’t turn up to be snake eyes.

The Pour:  I’m assuming it’s due to darker rye malts that this beer was a slightly darker version of an IPA.  Not black or brown, just deeper.  A touch of haziness was part of the overall appearance of Hop Rod, while the body was active and propped up a stable head, which incidentally, left very nice lacing as I drank it.

The Nose: Ever ubiquitous and perhaps starting to grow on me (to an infinitely tiny degree), grapefruity hops were a part of the nose. The citrusy nose was under-girded by a touch of tropical fruits, and the 8% ABV was a touch noticeable.  A slight caramel and rye pop made its way through the clusters of hops.  Also, an iron-like hint of metal emerged to the surface as well.

The Taste: Honestly, I expected quite a bit of spicy rye on the palate.  The bottle indicates that 18% rye was used.  Almost 1/5 of the grain bill is a notable amount, but it simply didn’t make the rye readily apparent.  Perhaps the hops stifled the impression.  Speaking of the hops, they dominated with high amounts of grapefruit qualities and a very nice and firm tropical fruit undertone.  The sharp bitterness and metallic tones cuts through the tongue like a razor while the bits of caramel malt and medium mouth-feel held the brew in check. This is very much and American IPA.

Overall: Truthfully, the beer was better than I expected.  It’s still not something I’d go after on a normal basis, but I enjoyed it as an occasional sipper.  Personally, a bit more mouth-feel and residual sweetness would benefit this beer.  This is, of course, a common criticism I have of U.S. IPAs.  That being said, I would recommend that those of you who like IPAs (not that I don’t) to try this one…if they don’t sue you for drinking it.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among Other American IPAs: ★★★¾☆