Drank That Local Sh*t explores the nitty-gritty of Long Island-born beers, with assistance from their creators.

Barrier Brewing Company//Tenderfoot

Style: IPA
ABV: 9.1%
Date of Birth: 12/31/13
Super Neat Beer Descriptors: Tropical, Juice, Plant-Viney, Not-That-Bitter

“This is a historic beer for us, and for me, personally. This was one of the first homebrewed beers I brought to Shane [C. Welch] when I worked at Sixpoint [Craft Ales], because I felt like I nailed it. And he agreed. It felt great.

Tenderfoot harkens back to the traditional IPA, but not traditional in a balanced sense. It’s traditional as in more of a classic flavor profile sense. It features Cascade, Centennial, and Columbus hops because those were the popular IPA hops at the time—before the Citras and Simcoes became popular—and therefore contribute a more classic 90’s era flavor profile. It was a time when a balance of hop and malt flavors was also preferred over the over-the-top hop bombs that are so commonplace today. That’s why we jokingly call it a ‘historical’ IPA, too. It’s amazing how much the IPA palette has shifted in such a short amount of time. It’s nice to drink a beer from a somewhat bygone era.

Tenderfoot is a well-brewed beer that’s just easy to drink. It’s hoppy, but not too hoppy. Since it was one of my earlier homebrews, I named it after the first rank in the Boy Scouts [of America]. It’s where everyone get started on their path to Eagle Scout, but few make it all the way. I’m actually an Eagle Scout, so being able to brew this early homebrew recipe now in my own brewery feels like a similar accomplishment of making it all the way through the brewing ranks.” [Craig Frymark, co-owner of Barrier Brewing Company]