Bear Republic Grand-Am American Pale Ale

This 6.5% ABV American Pale Ale is from Bear Republic Brewing Company of Healdsburg, California (a beautiful town in Sonoma County's wine country). The bottle states this was brewed and bottled in nearby Cloverdale, California, location of their bottling production facility.

The beer pours hazy and the color of dried apricots. There is a relatively short head of off-white foam that leaves a ring of sticky lacing. The aroma is tangy fruit, citrus, particularly orange and tangerine over toasted caramel malt. The taste follows the aromas, tangy, orange, tangerine and malt, with fruit and sweet and tart all in nice balance. The finish is dry, but only lightly bitter. It has a soft, yet very intense carbonation. As close to an IPA as to an American Pale Ale.