Photo courtesy of http://www.brewchief.com
I found myself in Kansas City recently for work. At the Residence Inn, they offer a complementary dinner Monday through Wednesday with your choice of beer or wine. While I might miss my family, I do try to make the most of my trip. So, I found myself with a heaping plate of southwestern chicken, some fresh guacamole and my choice of a mass produced Bud something or other or a Long Hammer IPA. Admittedly, not the craftiest of brews but certainly better than the alternative, I opted for the Long Hammer. The Long Hammer IPA is produced by Red Hook Brewing Company of Seattle, WA. Of course, with a little searching when I got home, I discovered that Red Hook is owned by the Craft Brew Alliance and Budweiser is owns 32.2% of the CBA. So I guess my choice wasn’t entirely free of the Big Beer influence.
Here is what Red Hook has to say about their Long Hammer IPA:
The generous addition of hops both during and at the end of the fermentation process (dry-hopping) gives our India Pale Ale its characteristic bitterness and piney citrus aroma and flavor. The medium body, crisp finish, and moderate alcohol and IBU levels makes this one of America’s most drinkable and best-selling IPAs.
I found the Long Hammer to be…
- Appearance: Clear, golden color with a minimal amount of foam.
- Aroma: Malty with citrus notes and maybe a little honey.
- Taste: Crisp and somewhat refreshing with almost no bitterness in the finish.
- ABV: 6.2%
The Long hammer was not very flavorful but was a good complement to my southwestern chicken. I call this a lawnmower beer but the high ABV might preclude it from being one.
