Beer Pick: Red Brick Double IPA

Profile: The second offering in the Red Brick limited edition Brick Mason series is a hearty 9 percent double IPA, produced with a combination of five different hops — Apollo, Bravo, Columbus, Centennial and Cascade.

It pours a golden-orange color with a fluffy white head, then opens up with an panoply of herbal, citrus and pine aromas, before a bitter, juicy punch of grapefruit tang and a lingering dry finish.

Local beers geeks are saying it’s about time Red Brick produced a big, hoppy IPA like this. But many are wondering why the brewery didn’t make a whole lot more of it.

Pair with: Try the bold flavor of Red Brick Double IPA with spicy barbecue, jerk chicken, chiles rellenos or aged sharp cheddar cheese.

Bob Townsend is editor of Southern Brew News, a bimonthly beer publication distributed throughout the Southeast: www.brewingnews.com/southernbrew