Red Hook Long Hammer IPA:
Hello all and welcome to the last day of “short beers” and while today’s beer isn’t exactly a short beer, this one is an odd duck in it’s bottle shape but not its taste. As stated before, Red Hook is one of my favorite breweries and while their Wit is a classic in my book, their Long Hammer IPA is the beer that got me hooked on them. This is an IPA that shouldn’t really be judged as other IPAs should, it’s what I would call a “clean” IPA. Pouring nicely the beer has a nice golden clear color that invokes a pilsner rather than an IPA but remember, clean is the name of the game. A nice head forms on the beer that gives the nose something to fight through and the nose is one of floral notes and citrus like most IPAs. The taste is very mellow, taking the normal bitterness of the of most mainstream IPAs and toning it down to inoffensive levels. Now where this beer grabs me is the finish and aftertaste which are both mellow and subtle, leaving a nice balance similar to the nose of citrus and floral notes and, above all, inoffensive. A really nice beer, this one is really good on tap (where I first had it) and is best enjoyed very cold. If you really want to amp up the taste profile, try this beer with a spicy food dish, the hops do wonders for the heat of a dish that I can’t explain but trust me, it’s worth it.