Southern California Beer: Hangar 24 Orange Wheat

While waiting for a movie at one of our favorite theaters - with a bar attached - Denise developed a hankering for a beer.  It's funny, because she seems much more like a cocktail girl than a beer fan.  She ordered a dark beer, then changed her mind.  I made a bee line for the waiter, catching him just before the previous order had been drawn from the tap.

The Hangar 24 Orange Wheat Beer from Redlands, CA, seemed like an odd choice for my wife, but we both enjoyed sharing the large bottle, $6 at the bar.

Our airborne reporter friend often speaks of the Inland Empire brew, which is brewed across the street from Redlands Municipal Airport, where his aircraft often stops for refueling.

This beer has an alcohol content of only 4.6% abv.  The label states that it is "crisp, tangy and refreshing," and that's right on the money.  It's an unfiltered wheat beer, which is brewed with locally-grown oranges.  Usually I experience the orange as a slice placed in the wheat beer.  The oranges come through brilliantly in the flavor.  Like other wheat beers, it appears cloudy in the glass.

The Hangar 24 website states, "Our oranges are purchased through the Old Grove Orange company (affiliate of the non-profit Inland Orange Conservancy) whose main objectives are to save the local orange trees from disappearing, spread the word about the local citrus growing heritage, and to feed the hungry with the unutilized oranges.  Please visit them at www.inlandorange.org.  All we need to do to save the orange trees is to eat or drink locally grown oranges!"  Redlands is in Southern California's Inland Empire, which was once a major source for citrus fruit.

They advise pairing this beer with fish, salads, mozzarella cheese and less-spicy Mexican or Thai food.  It went great with the popcorn during the movie.


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