Crooked Ladder Brewing Co. hasn't had its doors open for long, and they're already making a wide array of delicious beers. Founded by David and Stephen Wirth, and Duffy Griffiths, the brewery has its fair share of prior experience in the service industry.
In this case, Brothers David and Stephen are both veterans of the east-end business scene. David is the owner of a contracting firm, and built and named the brewery. Stephen is the owner of the renowned Digger's Ales N' Eats, an east end staple. Griffiths owns a number of delis, and got his toes wet as a head brewer at John Harvard's, decades before the craft beer scene began to grow.
The craft beer industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Currently, craft brewers provide an estimated 108,440 jobs in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association. Growth of the industry in 2012 was 15 percent by volume and 17 percent by dollars compared to growth in 2011. In fact, as of March 18, 2013, the Brewers Association was aware of about 409 brewery openings.
Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that the Crooked Ladder Road Soda Red IPA is absolutely delicious. It offers a light nose, which follows through in a crisp and fresh flavor. The color alone is enough to make the drink, a beautiful crimson that is incredibly clear. It's not as sharp as many IPA's out there, but certainly leaves a mark as far as flavor goes. All in all, it's a simple and drinkable beer, with a surprisingly high alcohol content at 6.4%.
Crooked Ladder has an entire arsenal of beers to choose from, as can be seen at their website.
