Bear Republic Grand-Am American Pale Ale

May 28th, 2015 by Scott in Disneyland Resort Beer Reviews

Some say that Racer 5 and Grand-Am are brewed just for Cars Land…

.@traveljenn @DisneylandToday neither are brewed just for Cars Land FYI. They're @BearRepublic products that can be purchased anywhere.

— Beers and Ears (@beersandears) May 4, 2015

This ends today’s lesson in “don’t believe everything you read on Twitter”.

However, Bear Republic products are starting to get more exclusive. Recently they pulled distributon from Texas and other states because the California drought is affecting their water supply. It shouldn’t affect Disneyland since Bear Republic is a California brewery, but we should keep an eye on whether distribution to Florida continues as we know how much everyone loves a Racer 5 at Epcot.

So how did I end up with a six pack of Bear Republic Grand-Am American Pale Ale if distribution to Texas has been halted?

I found it at the grocery store just the other day. It’s a beer I don’t usually see at the grocery store either. Perhaps the distributor was trying to clear stock since they won’t be getting any more. Only a few six packs remained.

Grand-Am has a noticeable amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle; a half-inch worth perhaps? It pours a cloudy but fairly bright orange with a nice sized white head that dissipates slowly. Grassy and slightly floral nose with a hint of orange peel. Citrus continues in the taste with some grapefruit and orange as well as the hop bitterness on top of a bready malt flavor. Medium carbonation, light bodied with a clean finish.

Grand-Am is a nice pale ale and fits in well at Cars Land in California Adventure, but it’s definitely not an exclusive. If you’re looking for something a little lighter than Racer 5, maybe Grand-Am will do the trick. However, if you’re looking for as few hops as possible, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.