After a long day, I often enjoy a Long Day-Red Hare Long Day Lager, that is. Lately, though, I sometimes follow up a long day (or a Long Day) with a Long Night. I’m talking about Red Hare Long Night Lager of course, a new variation on Long Day Lager from this Marietta, Georgia brewer. Red Hare Long Night Lager has a dash of coffee added, not something you see with lagers all that much. To be sure, coffee stouts and porters abound these days. Coffee lagers? While not unheard of, they’re far more rare.
Long Night Lager is a fall seasonal, not sold year-round sadly. I first sampled it on tap at Taco Mac, but it’s also sold in six-packs of cans. I’ll confess I was a little trepidatious, but this one was done right and I enjoyed it. It went well as my first beer on a Sunday afternoon watching the Pats play.
From the website:
Light and crisp with a round and juicy coffee flavor, Long Night Lager is brewed with Cool Beans Coffee’s Papua New Guinea Goroka Mile-High blend lending a savory acidity, creamy body, and hints of caramel.
Red Hare Long Night Lager has an alcohol of 5% by volume (they call it 4.98% on the website, but we’ll round it up because we can). It has 25 IBUs and I paid $6 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac. It runs $10.99 a six-pack, about a dollar more than I think it should.
Red Hare Long Night Lager pours to a less than brilliant golden color with a thick fizzy head and a strong coffee grind aroma in the nose. Taking a sip, that coffee grind note is stronger, and the coffee pops against the crisp Pilsner malt. The finish is slightly coffeeish too, grassy bitter, and maybe gently toasty.
This is definitely different and quite tasty, and I’ll be back for more next year.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft