Bear with me

It was a pleasant surprise to find a couple of beers from Bear Republic joining the line-up at Marks & Spencer. Time was, this was one of the go-to Californian breweries for seekers after those west-coast hop thrills, but I hadn't heard their name mentioned in years. Still, I was well up for a nostalgia trip. The last time I drank Racer 5 IPA was in 2009. It was a little less impressive nine years later, though still with those tasty peach notes on an orange-and-spices base. I guess there are a lot more beers like it around these days.

The new one is a pale ale caled Grand-Am, though still with a substantial ABV of 6%. It's a similar bright red-gold colour with a layer of fine white bubbles. The flavour and aroma are both rather muted, suggesting it may have been a mistake to drink that Racer 5 beforehand. Digging deep, a very similar flavour profile is there, just kind of... further away. A weighty boiled-sweet foundation, on which is set zesty grapefruit and spicy rocket and red cabbage. It's solidly built, if a little lacking in the refreshment qualities I'd like from a pale ale. I'm not complaining, but if you're only picking one of these, go for the turbo-charged Racer 5.