The Indian Pale Ale (IPA) beer style has exploded in popularity over the past few years. In fact, Business Insider reported that IPA was the most popular style of beers in the craft beer craze and over 100 new IPA brands were introduced into the market in 2014 alone. Generally, IPAs put a major focus on the hops and are also higher in alcohol content than a typical, light beer. This style has become very popular amongst the “hop-heads” of the beer loving world resulting in many new brands of IPAs constantly being added to the marketplace. However, today we are going to talk about an IPA whose brand has been around for over 30 years – Redhook’s Long Hammer.
About the Brewer
Redhook got their start in the early 80s by brewing beer out of an old transmission shop in the heart of Seattle. The first ale that Redhook released mysteriously had a banana taste from the yeast that was used to make the beer. While the founders, Gordon Bowker and Paul Shipman, were not exactly sure where the banana taste came from, they embraced it because it made them stand out from other beers by providing an “exotic” taste. The next beer they brewed was the Long Hammer IPA which focused much more on hops than the yeast. Redhook has been brewing Long Hammer since 1984 and had the IPA style mastered way before the craft beer craze we are experiencing today.
About The Beer
Long Hammer IPA pours a clear, dark gold color with a light head. It is a medium bodied beer with an aroma of citrus and pine. The IPA’s taste matches its scent with a bitter finish. Hops are added to the beer during and at the end of the fermentation process which is what gives it a citrus and pine aroma and flavor. While there is a strong presence of hops in each sip, it is not over powering.
Quick Beer Facts
Malt Varieties: Pale, Caramel, Munich
Hop Varieties: Alchemy, Cascade, Willamette
Alcohol: 6.5% ABV
BUs (Bitterness Units): 44.0
Would you like this beer?
While the hop flavor and bitterness of the beer is not over powering, you will probably need to still enjoy IPAs to like this beer. Amongst hop-heads this beer is very popular considering that it has been around for so long. However, if you are interested in trying an IPA for the first time, then this may be one of the better choices to ease you into the hoppy world of IPAs.
Long Hammer IPA is no longer on tap, we’ll let you know if it comes back!
