Hangar 24 Craft Brewery of Redlands Gets Gold for Winter Warmer Strong Ale

A Redlands brewery's ale made with ingredients from the San Bernardino Mountains received a gold medal last weekend at the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup in San Diego, a spokeswoman for the brewery said.

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery earned gold for their Winter Warmer Strong Ale in the Specialty Beer category, Kerry Roush of Hangar 24 said in an announcement.

It was the ninth bi-annual World Beer Cup, with 799 breweries from 54 countries and across the U.S. entering 3,921 beers is 95 beer style categories, Roush said.

"We've always been very proud of the quality and flavor of our beers, and it's always great to be recognized by other industry professionals," Hangar 24 owner and master brewer Ben Cook said. "The entire Hangar 24 Family and I are honored to receive such a prestigious award."

Winter Warmer is brewed with "maple syrup, cinnamon and spruce tips handpicked from the local San Bernardino Mountains," Roush said.

In 2012 Hangar 24 adopted Winter Warmer into its Local Fields Series and renamed it Warmer, Roush said. Hangar 24's Local Fields is a series of six specialty beers brewed once a year with locally-sourced ingredients.

"This series is a great way to showcase the use of local Southern California ingredients and what they can do in beers," Hangar 24's head brewer Kevin Wright said. "Using local ingredients has always been part of Hangar 24s core values and this win is great news for our Local Fields series."

Though it's typically made available during cooler months, Hangar 24 will offer Winter Warmer in their Tasting Room at 1710 Sessums Drive in Redlands during American Craft Beer Week, May 14-20, Roush said.

For more information about Hangar 24, visit www.hangar24brewery.com.