4.7% ABV | American Red Ale | 330ml | Lervig Aktiebryggeri | Norway
We’re returning to Northern Europe once again to revisit our friends at Lervig, of Stavanger, Norway, one of the relatively few dedicated breweries to set-up shop in the region. Still, Lervig is more than happy to take up the mantle of establishing new life in the local beer scene. The brewery was established in 2003, born of the same stuff many craft breweries are: a challengingly small number of people with a big passion for quality beer.
A favorite adage of the brewery is “a real city has a cathedral, a football team…and a local brewery,” so when the brewery moved their operations there in 2005, Stavanger finally completed its list and became a real city. With each year that followed, Lervig added a layer of sophistication to its operation – their first bottling and boxing lines have been in place since 2007 – while still running lean with a concise 18-person team. It’s a formula that works well for them, and they’ve become a favorite in the region and the beer-loving world beyond.
You may remember this brewery from their collaboration with Edge Brewing in Barcelona. But with this beer- Hoppy Joe – Lervig has taken the lead, and has crafted a pleasant, approachable Red Ale that’s appropriate pretty much wherever a beer is required.
Lervig’s Hoppy Joe pours a dark copper and features all of the best beer notes in perfect balance: fruity hops, caramel sweetness, and a bit of a bitter finish. Hoppy Joe is a self-proclaimed “American-style” Red Ale, meaning, like its name would suggest, its hop profile is a bit more aggressive than others of its ilk, but not so much so that it becomes difficult to quickly chug a few. With its approachable flavors and reasonable ABV (a friendly 4.7%), Lervig Brewing Hoppy Joe is a dependable option.