Remember how, not so long so, I mentioned how I wasn’t going to do tasting notes anymore?
First, a quick word about tasting notes. To be honest, I don’t really do them anymore. For all the beer I’ve had over the years, my palate just isn’t sophisticated enough. Other than vague generalities (balanced! smooth! malt backbone!), I can’t do each beer justice.
I can knock myself out crafting the perfect assessment, but everyone’s palate is different, so what’s really the point? From now on, most likely I’ll only make note of what’s most prominent and/or unusual for the style.
Yeah, well…
Okay, these aren’t exactly tasting notes, per se. But I wanted to mention how excited I was to actually find this beer … in my local Costco, no less! I’d been wanting to pick it up since I’d heard of its existence. I love rye beers anyway, but a Rye IPA from two of my favorite brewers anywhere?? Sign me up!
First of all, this is the only collaboration brew that I’m aware of (I’m sure there are probably others) where each brewery produced their own version of the beer. Costco had Coronado’s.
The difference? Hops. Bear Republic used Ella, El Dorado, Equinox, Azacca, and Buddha’s Hand. Coronado used Amarillo, Hallertau Blanc, Centennial, and Equinox. Listed for informational purposes only. As I’ve previously discussed, I could not tell you which hops did what to each brew, even if I had both to compare. All I can tell you is if it’s good or not.
So, is it?
Dumb question, of course it is!
Pours amber, almost mahogany. Got the requisite rye pepperiness, good hops, nice balance. (See what I mean about boring descriptors? I just can’t do this!) Curiously, a quick search on RateBeer shows their readers prefer the Coronado version 92-84. Bear Republic has more IBUs (65-45). Means nothing, but I thought it was interesting.
But yes, it’s good. If you see it, grab it.
And that’s really it. Not a ground-breaking post, just wanted to pass along my excitement of not only finding this, but finding it at a warehouse store! If I never win the lottery, this will have to do.
Now, if I can only find Bear Republic’s…