Racer 5 India Pale Ale

Tasted my first night back in Rock Island of 2011. I've tried this beer over and over again and it never ceased to impress me. While working at Binny's in Highland park, I recommended to every hop-head I came across.

Appearance: Golden hazed in color with a nice frothy white head that is sticky on the glass leaving a residual white lacing. Slow rising visible carbonation. Some chill haze apparent.

Aroma: A rich sweet pine sensation enters the nostrils and leaves as a tropical fruit sweetness. This beer is hoppy and choked full of alpha acids well into the C' hop category. The bouquet of citrus and light fruitiness are nicely balance by a foundational pale malt backbone. Some apricot and pineapple.

Taste: Starts refreshingly sweet with a biscuit light fruit sweetness but slowly transitions into a pine/juniper finish that takes the beer to an unparalleled level by most IPA standards. The balance between the malt and hops is incredible. The bitterness may take the upper hand, but it goes nowhere without the sweet fruitiness created by the two of pineapple and grapefruit. Tartness is in combination of hops and malt, and nothing else. Totally a unique and refreshing sensation. A beer drinkers "hot day lemonade." alcohol taste is completely masked by the hop resins and dryness.

Mouthfeel: Medium to fuller body with a perfect carbonation to transition the pine hop alpha acids through from the delicious malt sweetness. The hops make for a very refreshing and easy drinking beer.
Overall Impression: One of the best and most resiliently drinkable IPAs (and even beers for that matter) that I have ever tasted. The complexity and balance is astounding. The tropical flavors combined with the pine bitterness is achieved by few. If you see it, or are recommended it by a 22 year old working at Binny's, or where ever....Trust them.


95/100