Despite cutting their teeth brewing IPAs at home in the States, Hard Road's founders have resisted the temptation to put such a beer into the core lineup (at least at time of writing), instead keeping IPAs for their limited releases. They do have a beer with roots in the Californian scene that inspired them to follow the path to become craft brewers, however, and that beer is Righty's.
This is a pale for which the term "old school" is highly appropriate: there's plenty of biscuit and caramel malt at play, while the hops – Columbus, Centennial, NZ Chinook and Simcoe alongside locally grown Cascade, Centennial and Victoria varieties – serve up a piney, earthy, drying and hearty bitterness that lingers.
James Smith
