Photo by Robey Martin
December’s for easy drinking.
With all the parties that are likely on your docket this month, you'll probably be drinking a little more than usual.
Your ideal beer this time of year is low in alcohol and light, not harsh, and it slides down smoothly. You know, something you can keep coming back to.
Like the Richmond Lager at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery.
This unfiltered lager is something of a brewmaster’s love letter to the commonwealth, with Virginia-grown hops and Virginia-grown and -malted barley. (And dig the label on the bottle, with the James River Bridge depicted in patriotic red, white and blue.)
Most beers generally fit into two categories — ale or lager. A basic difference (don’t worry, I’m not gonna bore everyone with a chemistry lesson) is that ales have fast, warm yeast that eats their sugars, while lagers have slow, lazy and colder yeast. Pale lagers, of which this is one, are known for their fundamentally brisk, lean profile: no overt hops, no big malt.
This is a very good example of the style: It’s as relaxed as a game of catch on a quiet afternoon.
And if you give it as a gift, you don't even have to wrap it. The packaging is a locavore's dream.
