Brewery Release: WA: Seattle: Coming Soon ... Hale's Ales O'Brien's Harvest Ale
Coming soon to a draft or grocery shelf near you, Hale's O'Brien's Harvest Ale. A favorite of Hale's Ales fans, this "harvest ale" was first introduced in 1986. Now 28 years old, the beer has been described as "Hearty, complex, aromatic and delicious. At 7.00% ABV and 30 IBUS, Harvest Ale is a "... NW classic!"
Beer geek specifications
2-Roe, Crystal, Special B & Rye malts. Bravo, Centennial, Simcoe, Calypso & Amarillo hops
OG; 1.068 I.B.U's: 30 ABV: 7%
The Autumn season is always eagerly anticipated by craft brewers -- a whole new crop of fresh hops is about to be harvested! Brewed every fall at Hale’s since 1988, O’Brien’s Harvest Ale is an eagerly anticipated seasonal beer that annualy marks the start of a “brewer’s new year”. Notes from Hale’s Head Brewer Lincoln Zmolek on this year’s Harvest Ale: "The addition of rye lends a subtle spice character and rounds out a solid malt profile to an otherwise very hoppy beer.
2006 GABF Silver Medal Winner
A favorite phrase around Hale’s is “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing”. And of course THE “Main Thing” here is making great beer in the Brewery, and serving great food and drink in the Pub. The original vision, in 1983, for Hale’s Ales was to produce world-class ales, by the use of traditional English methods, using locally sourced natural ingredients, and to deliver the finished ales to local beer lovers as absolutely fresh as possible. That vision and mission remains unchanged today.
When the Brewery and Pub on Leary Way was opened in 1995, that same commitment to quality was applied to our food service: use fresh local ingredients to create tasty pub food, offered at good value in a relaxed, family-friendly environment.
In a broader, more human sense, Hale’s vision and mission has been to create a company that is sustainable, that is a responsible community partner, that has a fair and happy work environment, that cares deeply about its employees (the people who make it happen!). Mike Hale and his original band of supporting friends from Colville, who took a chance way back in 1983 on an unlikely dream, are still the owning group, along with a few long-time employees who were invited in to be owners (this does make Hale’s the longest running, continually owned brewery, of any size, in the Pacific Northwest, and indeed one of the oldest in the entire U.S.) The main dividend any of the owners has ever received is free beer when they ask for it.
Northwest Beer Guide