Ben Harris Cream Ale

 A lot has been made of Craft vs. the big brewers about who owns what and what to buy and everything in between. And while you'll never catch me buying shock top or blue moon or anything faux craft from the big guys, I was compelled to buy my first ever bottles of Red Hook. 

Recently, the Red Hook family suffered a tragedy at its brewery in Portsmouth, NH when a plastic keg exploded and killed brewery worker Ben Harris, a worker at Red Hook for over 7 years. A portion of the proceeds from this special cream ale will benefit the Benjamin Harris 2012 Memorial Fund. The attempt of this beer was to make a beer they thought Ben would enjoy himself, so they brewed up a special cream ale due to its accessibility that's got an extra kick of hops because according to Red Hook Ben liked “a touch of hops.” 

I recently had what I considered the best cream ale I'd ever had, Watch City's Hoppothermia, so attempting to dethrone that beer would be difficult. 

The beer itself pours a lovely golden color and smells like a nice bowl of frosted flakes. As soon as it hits the tongue you get a nice mix of sweet malts and bitter hops and the hops finish all the way down. Amazingly crisp and very drinkable all the way through. It's not quite as good as Watch City's Cream but it's definitely one of the better cream ales I've had.

Whether or not you're a fan of Red Hook, a fan of Cream Ales or terrified of Genesee Cream Ale, or just a fan of beer in general, this is a beer that's worth drinking and for an excellent cause.