Red Hook Long Hammer IPA

Nick didn't mention this, but while he's gainfully employed, I'm living happily as a graduate student in the greater Boston area. As a result, I'll often be posting around midday about whatever beer I'm drinking at that very moment.

I recently learned that the package store (New England speak for liquor-mart) across the street from me lets their customers mix and match six packs. The other night, when I should have been preparing for an exam, I went across the street and bought three six packs, containing around 12 brews. (It was actually one of those beers that gave me the idea to start the blog--the otherwise excellent owner of the liquor store recommended the beer strongly, and it turned out to be reasonably awful.)

Anyway, one of the random brews I tossed in was Redhook's Long Hammer IPA. I've had a few beers from this brewery before--they generally make a solid beer. For what it's worth, the Copper Hook Spring Ale is one of the highlights, though you'd have to act fast to grab it--it's a seasonal, and ending soon this year.

Given the heat, however, and the slightly spicy food I had for lunch, I figured an IPA was in order today, and I grabbed the Long Hammer from my fridge. Remember, I'm a student, so clean dishes and glassware are not my top priority these days... unfortunately, this means that unless I'm at a bar, beer is generally coming straight from the bottle.

Even in a bottle and with a stuffed nose, this brew's aroma packs quite a punch--hops right out of the gate, and strong hops at that. There's a very slight hint of sweetness, but not much.

It's light on the tongue, and hoppy, hoppy, hoppy. As it's been warming up, it's gotten a little less drinkable and a tiny bit more bitter, but that's to be expected. For a beer with this much hop-action, it's quite drinkable, but not very exciting or surprising. It's not a really big-flavored beer, but it is pretty close to a textbook IPA. If that's what you're looking for (or if it's just a really hot day,) this one's a good buy.