Hopworks Rise Up Red

Brewery: Hopworks Urban Brewery
Style: Organic Red Ale
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: B+/3.99 (Community)
RateBeer.com Rating: 3.53
Serving: 22oz Bottle

Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) has almost overnight become one of the most well known breweries in Portland. Founded in 2008, HUB is known for its commitment to sustainability in everything it does, amazing beer, great food, and an awesome place to congregate with other cyclists. As a fan of drinking organic beer while eating locally-sourced food and wearing cycling spandex, it's safe to say that HUB is an absolute must-visit brewery if you happen to find yourself in Portland. In fact, it's the only one that calls itself an Eco-Brewpub.

The latest of their offerings I had actually wasn't from the brewpub, but picked up at my local store in the form of a 22oz bottle. I'm a big fan of reds, so I snagged their Rise Up Red. From HUB:

This full bodied NW Red is mahogany smooth and hopped to the rafters with locally grown Cascade and Centennial hops. Raise your pints in the air, Rise Up, gather round, Organic Beer from the ground.

While my pint didn't get quite raised to the air, it did make it to my mouth and here's what I found.

Appearance: The color is an opaque copper accompanied by half a finger of tan head. Fairly typical of most reds aside from the slightly darker head.

Smell: Immediate hop profile with honey and citrus aromas. A bit sweeter than other reds, which makes it even more intriguing since most breweries out here tend to hop up their reds to where they're indistinguishable from an IPA.

Taste: Creamy mouthfeel with tastes identical to aroma. I'm drinking it paired with a bleu cheese burger and the combination is magical. I can see how the mouthfeel may be off-putting to some, but its wonderful if you're looking for something hoppy with substance. The honey hues make this really easy to sip by itself as well.

Did I mention I'm a huge fan of HUB? Rise Up Red is no exception and it goes to show that it's definitely possible to brew incredible, world-class beer using all organic ingredients. I know I've been preaching this for years, but organic beer keeps betting better and HUB deserves a ton of credit for how they're getting it done. Expect to read a lot more reviews about HUB brews in the future.