Friends, beer lovers, and especially hopheads, it's time for another brew from what is close to becoming (after Dogfish Head) our most frequent visitor to the Badass Tap: Bear Republic (and this isn't the only Bear Republic keg we have in the building, by the way).
I was first introduced to the California brewery when the then bar manager here at Lamar (Ryan Schibi, who is now Head of Booze at The Highball) said we should get in some Racer 5 IPA for a tie-in with Speed Racer. That was not long after I'd been promoted to head bartender, so I took his advice and was very glad I did so. The film kind of bombed, but the beer didn't - it was delicious.
Racer 5 is a bottle that frequently finds itself in my fridge. Alas, not so Racer X, because Bear Republic don't bottle this one - it's draft only, and in very limited amounts. This particular batch was an 80 barrel brew, which means 160 15½ gallon kegs. Ten percent of that brew - 16 kegs - have found their way to Texas, seven of which were apportioned to Austin, and one of those seven (I wish it was two) is in our walk-in and tapped for your enjoyment.
Bear Republic hangs a label around the neck of each of its speciality beers so I'm going to take the liberty of copying, verbatim, the words on this one:
Racer X is an uncommon Double IPA, a bold ale that follows English traditions with a California twist. Assertive American hop bitterness and aroma supported by a firm malt backbone, Racer 5's big brother is a force to be reckoned with.And the technical bit: