Review: Hangar 24 Oktoberfest, Polycot, and Essence
The seasonals from Hangar 24 just do not stop coming. Here’s three more for summer and fall.
Hangar 24 Oktoberfest Fall Lager – Can Oktoberfest be upon us already? This classic Oktoberfest-style brew is malty with plenty of chewy caramel to go around. Very light baking spice notes — think gingerbread — interact with the sweetness and give some curiosity to the finish. Those looking for bracing bitterness need not apply. 5.7% abv. B+ / $8 per four-pack of 12 oz. bottles
Hangar 24 Local Fields Polycot Wheat – A seasonal wheat beer brewed with apricots. (Poly = many apricots.) Better than I was expecting, with more of a peachy note to it and a touch of white grape juice on the back end. Quite winey, as that description would imply, with the bitterness held firmly in check. Fans of wheat beers will probably gobble this up. (It’s Hangar’s best seller in the Local Fields series.) 7.2% abv. B+ / $9 per 22 oz. bottle
Hangar 24 Local Fields Essence – A double IPA brewed with navel oranges, blood oranges, and grapefruit. This works, and remarkably well. All that citrus is kept well in check by bracing bitterness, and none of the three fruits dominates the others. I think the addition of grapefruit is what really makes this, a touch of puckering sourness that balances out the earthy, piney hops character, giving Essence loads of complexity — plus easy drinkability. The lovely, light copper color only adds to the appeal. (“Peel,” get it!?) 8.5% abv. A / $7 per 22 oz. bottle
Hangar 24 Local Fields Essence
$7
