Beer of the Month - Hopwork's Original Red [June 2008]

Hopwork's Original Red [June 2008]

OK, it's officially beer season! I know, beer season here is year round, but you've got to shout it out once in a while. It's time for the Winter vampires of Portland to finally get some sunshine and visit the outdoors without layers of protective rain gear. One of your first stops should be to Hopworks Urban Brewery to check out their new seasonal Original Red.

Brewer's description:

"This full bodied NW Red is hopped to the rafters and sanded smooth like mahogany. We are stoked to bring this former full-timer back for a reunion. Look for dry-hops, 5.6% ABV, 55 IBU, and a little attitude."

Reds were my first stop after my IPA obsession of 2001-2002. Northwest reds are still hoppy, but balanced out with a nice malt backbone. With these beers, the malt tends to desaturate the bitterness, while leaving behind a bit more of the floral and citrus quality of hops. This is much more evident when reds are dry-hopped like this one from the HUB.

I'm not sure how long the seasonals at the HUB last yet, so get out there as soon as you can. If you miss it, you'll be able to substitute your sadness with another seasonal as the HUB hasn't been slouching and tends to have 3-4 seasonals on tap.