Bear Republic come from Northern Californian wine country. The town of Healdsburg to be precise. They're a brewpub who grew into a full scale production brewery and turned their flagship IPA, Racer 5, into a staple of lovers of hoppy beer throughout California. It seems to be the beer most likely to make ex-pat Americans nostalgic. But equally impressive are their take on a Scotch Ale (Red Rocket) and Hop Rod Rye, an Imperial IPA made with a high proportion of Rye.