This edition of The Session is sponsored by Lyke 2 Drink.

Have you ever noticed how many animals show up on beer labels? We have lions and tigers and bears, plus various birds, reptiles, fish, assorted domesticated and wild animals, plus a few mythical creatures. For whatever reason brewers have a tradition of branding their beers using everything from pets to predators. The Brew Zoo will celebrate these lagers and ales.

Your assignment for The Session #7 is to go on a beer safari and help stock our Brew Zoo with animals large and small. This is one hunt that even PETA should not protest.

Happy hunting!

The biggest difficulty I had with this iteration of The Session was trying to limit myself to just one beer. I wanted to stay local. The closest brewery to me is Wild Goose Brewery. They’re owned by Flying Dog, whose beer is also brewed there. Add that Thirsty Dog is just up in Ohio I could have gotten myself a whole kennel of doggie beers. Going toward the East there’s Dogfish Head and Flying Fish. All I needed was a barrel.

Too easy. All too easy. Plus, I’ve written about a number of them before.

So, I spent something like thirty minutes wandering up and down the aisles of my favorite retailer trying to decide which animal to go with. Goat, bear, dog, fish…wait, is a bee an animal?

Eventually, I settled on Hop Hog India Pale Ale from Lancaster Brewing Company, which is just up in Wilkes BarreLancaster, Pennsylvania. (It turns out that this is contract-brewed by Lion Brewery in Wilkes Barre. Thanks, Eric.)

They say:

Hop Hog IPA is an India Pale Ale featuring a strong hop flavor and elevated alcohol level. According to Hop Hog IPA’s product description, cascade hops provide a citrusy, flowery aroma and flavor which is accented nicely by solid malt overtones. At around 8% ABV and 50 BU (bitterness units), Hop Hog IPA is an excellent illustration of a classic beer style.

Orangish-amber with a thick, white head. I get a floral aroma with a bit of orange zest. From the name, I expected the hops to be completely over the top. They’re not, though. Oh, they’re there, but it’s actually well-balanced. Medium body and a rather nice finish. In spite of being 7.8% ABV, there’s not a lot of heat from the alcohol. It’s rather smooth.

I’ll be enjoying the rest of this six-pack.

Unofficial Hop Talk Rating:

Update: Rick has been posting periodic updates:

• The Brew Zoo: We’re Off to a Good Start
• The Brew Zoo: It’s Starting to Get a Little Gamey in Here
• Brew Zoo: The Wild Kingdom Comes to The Session
• Brew Zoo: Picking Up a Few Strays
• Final recap: The Brew Zoo: 33 Bloggers Contribute to the Menagerie
• Postscript: Brew Zoo: One More Dog for the Act

The Session is a day each month—the first Friday, in fact—where beer bloggers all over the world write about beer on a chosen theme. You can read about how The Session started over at Appellation Beer.
Although specifically for beer bloggers, anyone can contribute. All you need to do is write a post on the right day on the chosen theme, and then let the person coordinating that month know about it. That way they can include a link to your article in a wrap-up post.

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