My dog Hank was a pretty special guy. Super mellow. Loved to hang outside all day, relax, and watch the world go by. He would ‘fish’ for hours at the lake – never catching anything, but delighting in the whole experience of spending the day in the sun and water. I never really realized it until he was gone, but Hank was a great reminder for me to slow down a bit and enjoy the simple things in life.
So, when Annette & I talked about making a beer to honor Hank, it was pretty clear what we should brew — a pale ale that is really easy drinking… something that you would want to grab and drink all day on the porch with your friends, or while swinging in a hammock, or while enjoying the last outdoor parties of the Summer.
With that in mind, we are happy to announce the release of Hankie’s Pale Ale – a refreshing, highly drinkable, and nicely balanced pale ale with a great hop crispness and a distinct citrus nose.
‘We dry hopped the hell out of it’ said Annette Lee (Throwback Head Brewer) with Palisade and Citra, and, we used Liberty, Chinook and Citra in the boil. The hops give the beer hints of stone fruit (especially apricot) and a balanced bitter kick, turning what could be a relatively simple and somewhat lighter weight beer into a beer with a great character and taste. And, at 4.7%, this beer is quite sessionable.
While Hank never was a beer drinker, we think this would have been his ‘go to’ beer if he was. I can certainly see this turning into my ‘go to’ beer – easy to drink, yet with lots of character. And, at the same time, a reminder to every once in a while kick back, slow down, and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.
Cheers to Hank!