We here at The Drink Nation are big fans of Red Hook Brewery. We are also avid listeners to the Dan Patrick Show. So when these two notable establishments got together and created a beer, we had to try it.

Red Hook’s Portsmouth, NH, brewery invited Patrick to collaborate on a brew. On his radio show, Patrick said he knew what kind of beer he wanted. He wanted something that would be perfect to drink while watching sports, but with a lower alcohol content so drinkers could enjoy more than one during a game. After many, many, many taste tests, Patrick and the brewers came upon the perfect pale ale, Audible Ale. 

The first thing drinkers will notice is the beer’s darker amber, almost redish color. This ain’t a light beer. It pours into a strong head, but the foam dissipates quickly. The scent is floral with hints of hops and citrus. The ABV is an agreeable 4.7% with 22 IBUs. The taste has a strange familiarity to it. The hop bitterness is right up front, which then dissolves into a crisp, mild finish. The beer is flavorful, but there are no surprises, no exotic or unusual ingredients. A second taste brought a bit of nostalgia. It took a minute to figure it out, but the taste of this beer is old school. Audible Ale is what Schlitz could have been had it lived up to its full potential.

Audible Ale is exactly what sports fans need it to be: Easy drinking yet full bodied, perfect for tailgating or a double header baseball game. What Patrick calls “crushable.” With its slight bitterness Audible Ale is also perfect with a bucket of wings or a pepperoni pizza, anything tangy and saucy.  

Another unique feature of Audible Ale is the bottle caps have DP Show catch phrases like “en fuego” and “fill your passion bucket.”  A special touch are the printed shout outs to loyal callers like Shea in Irvine and Jake in Wisconsin. With baseball, camping and the outdoor concert season upon us, call an audible and fill your passion bucket with a few bottles of Audible Ale.

Photo: Red Hook Brewery