It pours a cloudy orange. On the scale, it weighs in at 6.5% ABV and 44 IBUs. Both of those numbers are pretty much middleweights, relatively speaking. If you compare this beer to, say, Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA and its 90 IBUs, the hop bite on the tongue isn't that sharp. This Long Hammer is dry-hopped, meaning the hops are added last. Dogfish continually hops their beers, which I guess is why their beers tip the scales in terms of IBUs. This beer was pretty good. The hoppiness was pretty evident, however, not overwhelming. The thing that caught my senses immediately after opening this beer, and while pouring it, was the hop aroma. It smelled great. Overall, a decent beer from a decent brewer. I've had Red Hook's ESB and their Winterhook a while ago. From what I can recall, the ESB was good, the Winterhook not so much. Red Hook has two others I'd like to try: a Belgian Tripel and an Autumn Ale.
If you are a fan of IPAs, I say give this one a try if you haven't already.
Bring it over. Now.
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