Bear Republic Apex Special IPA

Beer Name: Apex Special IPA
Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Cloverdale, CA; Healdsburg, CA)
ABV: 8.25%

How sold: 22 oz. bottles; on draft
Where bought: Craftshack (San Diego, CA)  ****bought online
Price: $8.49

Date Bought: November 16, 2016
Date Received: December 13, 2016 (disgruntled panda....)
Date Drank: January 12, 2017
When brewed? Seasonal beer.
IBUs: 100

Food Pairings: Bear Republic suggests spicy and savory foods. Click here for more!

What's on the Bottle/Website: "Apex: The Highest point, the culmination or climax. In racing, the apex of a turn is approached differently as conditions dictate, but always with a forward looking mindset. This beer is a culmination of years of brewing and drinking hop forward IPAs. We reserve the right to move forward, to advance the style to the next Apex." Read more here!

Where distributed: As of January 2017, Bear Republic is found in 17 U.S. states and six other countries. See their distributor list here!

REVIEW:

Appearance (5%): Pours a hazy peach-copper color into a pint glass. Off-white head with some lacing. 4.5/5

Smell (25%): Tropical citrus-grapefruit with complementing sweet malt. 4.25/5

Taste (40%): Tropical hop-forward and malty at the start, with slight octane. The tropical and citrus nature carries through into the aftertaste, full of flavor. Can confirm it pairs well with spicy food. Great stuff here. 4.25/5

Mouthfeel (10%): Medium-full bodied, some carbonation. Slightly dry on the tongue. 4.25/5

Overall (20%): An excellent Double IPA. While at the end of the day, I'd still prefer the Cafe Racer 15 over this one, Apex is another great choice if you're seeking a stronger IPA from Bear Republic. The $8.49 price tag is probably pushing the reasonableness tag but still in that ballpark. 4.25/5

Final Weighted Rating: 4.263/5