One Less Bear

It’s a sign of what may be seen more and more in coming years but the very neighborhoods that have been gentrified are going to become too costly to stay in and issues with landlords are going to start to arise.

Case in point is Bear Republic. One of their (3) locations was in Healdsburg but with wine tourism spiking and building maintenance costs not being covered, they have decided to close that location and focus on their brewpub in Rohnert Park, and its production brewery in Cloverdale. The custom 15-barrel brewhouse from that was stationed in Healdsburg will move to Cloverdale.

As sales have slowed, margins tighten and any unexpected cost especially one from a landlord who can charge higher rents to newer occupants will cause re-trenchment and more big trucks with fermenters being driven from one spot to another.

Flagship Beer Review # 3 – Racer 5 from Bear Republic

Our 3rd Flagship comes from Bear Republic, here is my review of Racer 5. I can’t divine a brewed on date so I opened with hope for hops and hops I got. A strong wood chip aroma graced my senses and I knew I was in safe hands. A nice bitter kick hits the side of the mouth with each sip. It straddles the line of strong with a sessionable side. Very piney flavor. Very much a throwback to the West Coast style back before the IBU race really started to heat up.