Into beer, Hangar 24 unloads a basket of cherries, apricots, citrus
The brewers at Hangar 24 have been busy. The Redlands brewery has six new or seasonal beers on tap for the summer and three of them are made with produce from the farmers in the Redlands community. From blood oranges to Bing cherries, they’re putting fruit in everything from IPAs to wheat beers to keep customers’ thirst at bay this summer.
Belgian Summer Ale is Hangar 24’s usual summer beer, and the light and spicy blond hit stores and taps last month. Joining it this month is Essence -- the popular citrus infused double IPA that debuted last summer. Part of the Local Fields series that highlights local produce, Essence uses hundreds of pounds of blood oranges, navel oranges and grapefruit grown in Redlands’ citrus groves. The pungent double IPA is zesty and bitter, and the beer is available in 22-ounce “bombers” and on draft.
Next up in the Local Fields series is a new, draft-only beer called Kirschen, Hangar 24’s take on the classic Berliner Weiss style. The tart and light wheat beer was brewed with local organic Bing cherries, and at under 4% alcohol it should prove to be a fantastic summertime refresher when it is released in the tap room and at local bars on July 6.
Later in July, Polycot will make its return. Based on Hangar 24’s flagship Orange Wheat, Polycot uses organic apricots instead of the citrus, and the beer is brewed nearly twice as strong as it’s orangy cousin. Polycott remains light however, and the apricots add tart and slightly earthy notes to the beer’s finish.
Summertime doesn’t have to all be about light, fruity beers, though, and Hangar 24 has a special release that should excite the fans of big, bold beers. The seventh beer in the brewery’s Barrel Roll line, Tailslide is a barrel-aged doppelsticke. Brewers started with the 4th Anniversary beer then aged the rich and malty base in bourbon barrels. Hangar 24 describes the beer as “Abundant whiskey aromatics and spicy flavors blend pleasantly with the delicate esters of this strong ale, resulting in an ambitious balance of beer and spirit.”
You can find Hangar 24’s seasonal beers at bottle shops and bars around town, or you can head straight to the source and sample them at the brewery’s remodeled tasting room in Redlands.
Hangar 24, 1710 Sessums Drive Redlands, (909) 389-1400.
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