I had one of those hometowns that are frequently used as locations in romantic comedies: quaint, low crime rate, boring. Everyone knows everyone, everyone knows of everything that goes down, and almost everything that goes down seems to be geared towards the upwardly mobile baby boomers. That is, until Hangar 24 Brewery came to Redlands.
I love microbreweries as it is, but Hangar 24 actually gives me that tinge of hometown pride- a feeling that there is pure deliciousness coming from the same place where I used to ditch classes. I recently visited the brewery, as Wednesday through Saturday nights are tasting nights- you can show up and grab a pint of any of their six styles of beer at a measly $4 a pint. Hot damn!
While their big seller is the Orange Wheat, they also have a damned delicious lager, pale ale and a couple others that I am too inebriated to remember. Whatever. The Orange Wheat is the flagship model, with the oranges coming from local growers via the Inland Orange Conservancy and in epic proportions. Also, it’s God-damned delicious. Like, seriously delicious.
I love good beer, but I also like good beer that messes me up right quick. In comes the IPA to save the day. At 7%, it’s no lameass Natty Ice. This is a beer with balls. Huge ones. Having gotten reasonably messed up for shenanigans, I can attest to the fact that this is not one of those high gravity ales that taste like metal shavings, this is a beer for adults. This is no children’s booze [Yes, I stole that line from Black Books, do not sue me].
And, in true punk rock DIY ethics, the brewery is run by a dude, not a company. Ben Cook and his team are local brewheads doing what they love. They also rule at what they do. I’m wasted, gotta go. You have any questions, let me know. Or check www.hangar24brewery.comThank God for spell check.
–Jonathan Yost