Who says you can’t enjoy a strong dark beer in July? Not me. In fact, I make it a habit every year of socking away strong, hearty Christmas ales to enjoy in the midst of July. This particular July has been a rather hot one, but that’s all the better. As the night slowly and slightly cools, what better time to pop out a bottle of Red Brick Long John Ale, the holiday seasonal from Georgia’s Red Brick Brewing Company?

Red Brick brewing used to be known as Atlanta Brewing, though they always used the “Red Brick” brand for their beers. They began operations in 1993 and that qualifies them as Georgia’s oldest operating brewery. Red Brick Long John Ale first appeared in November 2010. In its previous incarnation, Long John was simply known as Red Brick Winter Brew. This is a strong, dark Belgian-style dubbel, replete with notes of funky yeast, fruit, and chocolate.  The beer is made with malts from around the world (obviously including Belgium) and dark candi sugar to add richness.

Red Brick likes to keep in touch with their southern roots; witness the label for Long John Ale:

Weep for your Northern brethren. Long winters. Suspect college football. And perhaps worst of all, no Red Brick beer. Since 1993, we’ve been brewing fine craft beers for the south and only the south. We’re proud to stand alongside grits, hound dogs and mama as embodiments of the southern lifestyle. We’re proud to be beer from around here.

Red Brick Long John Ale pours to a dark mahogany color with a medium sized creamy than head formation and a soft, sweet molasses and treacle nose. The palate displays that same sweetness up front upon sipping, accented wonderfully by a pleasant toasted nuttiness, light chocolate, molasses and toffee, raisin and tart dark cherry and a hint of rock candy. I get some brown sugar in the finish along with a warming alcohol flourish (the beer has an alcohol content of 8.2% by violume).

I like this one better in July than I did in December. Sure, it’s a great winter brew, but a strong dark Belgian-style ale like this is good anytime of year, and should hold up nicely over time. This one certainly did, and is the perfect brew to cap off an icy cold July day. Perhaps not so wonderful as Ommegang, but still a great beer in its own right.

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