About a month ago I wrote an article about the release of Fire Island’s Red Wagon IPA.

In an email to the brewers, I playfully hinted that I wanted to taste the beer — but living on the West Coast made it logistically impossible to acquire it.

Well kids, I’ve learned that sometimes if you ask (very very nicely), you shall receive. Within about a week of writing my article and emailing my request, a sample of Fire Island Red Wagon IPA showed up on my door step. Unfortunately for all the parties involved, it was just days before my trip to San Diego Beer Week. And so in order to give it the love and attention it deserved, I put tasting the Red Wagon IPA on the back burner until I returned.

Unforeseen travel and events forced me to put it on the back burner longer than I intended, for which I owe the brewers a BIG apology.

But alas, the time has come. And I’m extremely excited for this moment.

For those of you who are too lazy to read my previous article, Fire Island Beer Company is brand new “up-and-coming” brewery located in “The Other New York” — aka “The Anti-City.” I’m ashamed to admit that, even as a native New Yorker, I’d never heard of the place known as Fire Island until the brewery came about.

Today, Fire Island is considered by many as one of the chicest places to have a beach house. It remains popular among artists, actors, musicians, and the ultra-rich. Fire Island has never succumb to the same commercialism and class distinctions that haunts the Hampton’s. It is COMPLETELY car-free and the only automobiles allowed on Fire Island are service and emergency vehicles.

No restaurants on the island have a dress code. No shoes? No shirts? On Fire Island? No problem!

Fire Island Lighthouse near Sunset by Jim Dohms

Fire Island Beer Company was founded by two beer loving brothers –Tom and Bert Fernandez– along with their beer loving cousin,  Jeff Glassman. Growing up, the boys spent a significant amount of their summer vacations on Fire Island. It was here that boys developed their love of beer and Tom discovered his affinity for brewing.

Entrepreneurial spirit eventually led to boys to run “The Shack” — a landmark institution and concession bar located on Atlantique Beach, Fire Island. The boys first started selling Tom’s different types of homebrews to friends and family at “The Shack.” The popularity of the local brewed beer ultimately inspired the trio to create Fire Island Beer Company.

Fire Island Beer Company released its first beer, the Lighthouse Ale, in May of 2009. It’s second beer, Red Wagon IPA, was just released this October (2009). The recipes for both beers were inspired by the easygoing, laid-back & unpretentious vibe of Fire Island. Fire Island Lighthouse Ale is based off a recipe Tom has been brewing for almost ten years. It is a favorite among the boys.

“Fire Island is known for being easygoing with a lot of character, so Lighthouse Ale has been crafted the exact same way.”

For more on why Fire Island Lighthouse Ale is the “kind of beer you want to have a beer with”, check out this video:

Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to taste the Lighthouse Ale. But that is neither here nor there. I’m extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to sample the Red Wagon IPA, despite my non-geographical proximity to Fire Island — or the East Coast for that matter.

THE BEER WENCH’S TASTING NOTES

FIRE ISLAND RED WAGON IPA

BACK LABEL: After work, I’ll occasionally stay in the city and go out with co-workers. The first hour I noticed is usually filled with Red Wagon IPAs and also conversations about work. If the second hour is more of the latter, I’ll usually ninja out of the bar and catch the ferry back to Fire Island. It’s not that I’m not having fun with everyone. It’s just those nights remind me to never work so hard that I forget what I’m working for.

• APPEARANCE: The beer pours a cloudy, amber color with a fluffy, meringue-like  off white head. Head dissipates quickly, leaving a nice thick lacing on the sides of the glass.
• AROMA: Citrus & floral hops aroma w/ notes of earth and spice. Slight hints of caramel malt. Moderate fruity esters.
• TASTE: Hops dominate the palate. Hop profile starts out citrusy and fruity, yet finishes earthy and bitter. Nice malt backbone that yields a slight caramel sweetness.
• MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied, medium-carbonation, smooth mouthfeel. Undetectable alcohol — the label does not specifiy the ABV, but I’d reckon it was around 6%. Dry, crisp finish. Very well attenuated and pleasantly drinkable.
• OVERALL: The Fire Island boys consider themselves to be “brewers of world-class beers that are inspired by the color, character and overall experience of Fire Island.” Well, if Red Wagon IPA is the essence of Fire Island — then I need to take a trip out there! In my opinion, the Red Wagon IPA is very well-balanced with a complex palate of different hop varietals. Despite my usual preference for IPAs brewed with the super piney, resiny and citrusy hops of the Pacific Northwest, I found the earthy & spicy hop profile of Red Wagon IPA to be extremely enjoyable. This is a an easygoing IPA that can be easily consumed in all sorts of situation. It would pair well with spicy & fried foods, yet is delicate enough for salads and seafood. I could easily picture myself taking Red Wagon IPA to the beach, kicking off my shoes, laying back and taking in the scenery. Perhaps one day, I will get such a chance — and I hope its on Fire Island.

FTC DISCLAIMER: I received the aforementioned bottle of beer as a gift from Fire Island Beer Company.

Although lately I’ve developed a reputation as a gypsy for my rather nomadic lifestyle, I do call one place “home.” And this place is New York. I grew up in the Hudson Valley — just 60 miles north of Manhattan. My parents still live in NY and, in my person opinion, NYC is the best city in the country.

So naturally, when I get wind of new and exciting ongoings in the NY beer scene, I feel compelled to share it with the world.

Fire Island Beer Company entered the craft beer realm this past spring (May 2009) with the launch of its first beer, Lighthouse Ale. I’m excited to announce that they are set to release a second beer, the Red Wagon IPA, on November 1st.

Fire Island Beer Company is the brain child of two brothers and a cousin. The story goes as follows:

For the better part of their childhood years, the boys spent their summers on Fire Island, NY (aka “The Other New York”). Just off Long Island’s south shore, Fire Island is only accessible by ferry. And no cars are allowed on the island. Ever. It is there that the boys first developed a passion for home brewing, which ultimately resulted in the development of Fire Island Beer Company.

Unfortunately, Fire Island Beer Company has very limited distribution. At this time, they are only available in New York. For those of you who are lucky enough to live in New york, Fire Island has a nifty LOCATOR tool. Lucky for me though, my cunning Beer Wench ways have worked magic on the Fire Island Beer Company boys … and they will be sending me a sample to review. ROCK ON!

Interested in more information about the newest release — the Red Wagon IPA? Here is a copy of the official press release:

Fire Island Beer Company unveils Fire Island Red Wagon IPA
The Newest Craft Beer From ‘The Other New York’

OCEAN BEACH, N.Y. - Fire Island Beer Company is proud to announce the launch of their second craft beer, Fire Island Red Wagon IPA.  This India Pale Ale follows the company’s successful flagship beer, Fire Island Lighthouse Ale, which was introduced in May and continues to sell at a brisk pace.

Fire Island Red Wagon IPA will join Fire Island Beer Company’s lineup on November 1 and will be available on Long Island, in New York City and Westchester and Rockland counties. Red Wagon is the next step in bringing to life several unique craft beer styles inspired by the experience of Fire Island.

Fire Island Red Wagon IPA is the handiwork of two brothers and a cousin who developed their taste for craft beer and home brewing during the summers they spent on Fire Island, the naturally beautiful and very colorful barrier island just off Long Island’s south shore. The ultra-relaxed island has attracted families, partiers, weekend beach-goers and outdoor sports lovers for generations, yet it refuses to allow cars, pretension and the frantic pace common to NY-metro area culture. This led the Fire Island Beer Company founders to coin it “The Other New York,” a concept they find very refreshing.

“Fire Island Beer Company is going in a hoppier direction with Red Wagon IPA compared to our Lighthouse Ale,” says Co-founder and Head Beer Maestro Tom Fernandez. “We wanted to create a smooth-bodied golden beer that blends the right amount of floral and fruity hops and finishes with a crisp taste. I think we’ve accomplished that with Red Wagon IPA. It’s big on flavor and big on substance, or as its brewers like to say, “an IPA as grounded as the people who drink it.”

“Wagons are central to life on Fire Island, and the perfect symbol of what makes this place so different,” says Co-founder Jeff Glassman. “There are no cars, so people pull their stuff around in wagons instead. It’s a great reminder to keep things simple in life … you can only carry so much, so focus on what’s important. That is the idea that inspired Red Wagon IPA”

“Just like Lighthouse Ale, an early homebrew version of Red Wagon IPA was conceived and tested at the Shack, a casual lunch counter and bar between the bay and ocean in Atlantique Beach on Fire Island where we worked summers when we were younger,” Fernandez adds. “It didn’t matter if you were a local, a surfer, a fisherman or a weekender … everybody gathered there and shared stories and laughs over a few beers. It was full of really easygoing people with a ton of character, just like Fire Island itself, so the vibe there was awesome. All of our beers have been inspired in some way by this vibe and the Shack was a great venue to sample people on our early brews.”

What started as a basement home brewing experiment has grown into meticulously crafted and well-received beers. Fire Island Beer Company did not want to risk the integrity of their recipes in order to share them with a wider audience, so the craft brewers enlisted some expert industry help from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company (www.oldesaratogabrew.com) to bring their recipes to life.

“Olde Saratoga has always supported the spirit of craft brewing,” said Paul McErlean, Head Brewer at Olde Saratoga Brewing Company. “When Fire Island came to us it was an exciting opportunity because we’ve never worked with a true home brew recipe before.”

Red Wagon IPA will leverage Fire Island Beer Company’s existing relationship with distribution heavyweight Manhattan Beer Distributors (www.manhattanbeer.com). As the largest single market beer distributor in the U.S., Manhattan’s Craft and Micro Division will be responsible for selling the new brand into target on- and off-premises accounts.

To help create a unique look and feel for Red Wagon IPA, Fire Island Beer Company turned to local branding and design boutique rocketdog (www.rocketdognyc.com). The innovative branding features original artwork and copy that will anchor all packaging, point of sale materials and digital applications for the beer company and its brands. One way the brand will share its spirit is through the use of four separate “stories” that can be found randomly on the rear labels of Red Wagon IPA. Each will communicate something different about The Other New York and the mindset found there. For example:

“When you come to Fire Island, instead of taxis to greet you, there are red wagons. So, you kinda have to learn to live with what you can pull or toss over your shoulder. Some clean clothes. Groceries. A toothbrush. Definitely a six-pack (or two) of Red Wagon IPA. If you think about it, it’s a good measure in life. To see what stuff is important. And what’s just stuff.”

“When we started Fire Island Beer Company, we set out with one mission: To create world-class craft beers that are inspired by the color, character and delicious experience of Fire Island. With Red Wagon IPA, we’ve taken the next big step in realizing that mission and are really seeing it all come together,” Glassman said. “We are all about good times and great beer.”

Fire Island Red Wagon IPA and Fire Island Lighthouse Ale are both available in single 12-ounce bottles, 6-packs, 5.16-gallon kegs and 15.5-gallon kegs and are available to ship immediately.

Visit Fire Island Beer Company at www.fireislandbeer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/fireislandbeer
Twitter: twitter.com/fireislandbeer

CHEERS!