Big things are happening in 2015 for the Burnt Hickory Brewery of Kennesaw, Georgia. Burnt Hickory just underwent a major expansion, and in addition to more capacity this also means they’re bottling. The latter will increase their reach and the number of their beers that thirsty Georgia beer drinkers can imbibe. Since I first saw Burnt Hickory in bomber bottles in March (or was it February?) they’ve literally exploded into liquor stores, growlers shops, and convenience stores everywhere I go here in the Peach State.

Burnt Hickory Didjits Blood Orange IPA is the first bottled seasonal offering from Burnt Hickory that I bought. This is their spring seasonal and is made with, well duh, blood oranges. That’s an interesting choice and definitely intrigued me. There are a number of beers out there brewed with grapefruit, which plays off the grapefruit citrus notes some American hop varieties add to beer.

Blood oranges though are an interesting choice as they possess a bold tart citrusy flavor all their own. Burnt Hickory’s Didjits Blood Orange IPA incorporates them to good effect. The finished product has an alcohol content of 7% by volume and I paid $9.99 for the 22-ounce bottle. The brewery strongly suggests you drink it fresh, and kudos to them for boldly stating the bottling date on the label. Mine has 2/25 handwritten in black marker.

Burnt Hickory Didjits Blood Orange IPA pours to a bright orange (but not blood orange) color with a thick creamy head of foam and a big beautiful nose of fresh malt, citrus and herbal hops. Before I take a sip, I notice the beer is peppered with yeast sediment throughout, which increases as I pour the last of the bottle into my glass. Yeast is good for you, my friends. Savor those B-Vitamins.

When I do sip, I find the beer truly delicious with fresh biscuity malt up front followed by the juicy, pink-grapefruit like zesty blood orange flavors. Toasty malt, bitter orange peels, and herbal hop bitterness all show up in the finish.

Truly a delicious beer, just bursting with bitter orange peel throughout and fleshy blood orange pulp (that’s not in there, it just tastes that way). I was very impressed with this beer, so much so that I sent a few bottles out to friends to try. The Georgia beer scene today is heavily biased towards draft only breweries, but it’s nice to see another one bottling. If you happen across this beer, I recommend it highly.

 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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