North East Beer Review

A review of a brewery from the United States is the theme today. Tired Hands Brewing Company is known its dry hopped beers and innovative approaches to their brews. I saw Tired Hands Brewing Company Refreshing DDH reduced at my local beer shop and thought I would give it a go. To note this beer went out of date in November 2025. So what did I think? To find out I will cover the history of this beer and brewery, the pour, the taste and aroma and finally my verdict.

An influential figure in craft brewing

Tired Hands Brewing Company was founded in 2011 by Jean Broillet IV in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The brewery gained national recognition for its innovative approach to farmhouse ales, hazy IPAs, and heavily dry-hopped beers. The original Brew Café opened in 2012 and focused on small-batch brewing, local ingredients, and European-inspired beer styles. Due to this, Tired Hands became one of the most influential US craft breweries which helped popularise the New-England IPA style. It has a strong reputation due to its long list of beer releases and gained a devoted following. Over the years, the company expanded with additional locations, including the Fermentaria in Ardmore and venues in Philadelphia. The brewery remains known for pushing creative boundaries through experimental fermentation techniques and aggressive dry-hopping practices.

DDH Refreshing is part of Tired Hands’ modern hop-forward lineup. “DDH” stands for Double Dry Hopped, a brewing technique where additional hops are added during or after fermentation to maximize aroma and flavor without substantially increasing bitterness. This brew is created using two row barley, flaked rice and fermented with their house Ale yeast. Dry hopped with plenty of the freshest Galaxy, Citra, and Lemondrop, then secondarily hit of New Zealand Motueka. This is an 8% ABV which has notes of lemon curds, mango meringue, lychee smoothies, ruby red grapefruit and orange starburst.

A thick and hazy pour

DDH Refreshing pours a hazy golden-orange appearance which is opaque in nature. A creamy white forms which has excellent retention and leaves a generous ring of lacing down the glass. The carbonation is moderate and smooth which has more of a smoothie like look. Overall, an immensely juicy pour which looks more like a fruit juice than a beer.

An immensely fruity flavour profile

Aroma

Tired Hands Refreshing DDH opens with an explosive burst of tropical and citrus fruits. This includes aromas of mango, melon, grapefruit and lime. This is followed by notes berry and white grape. There is also a progression of light floral hop aromas alongside subtle resinous and piney notes. Overall, this is an incredibly juicy but not overwhelming aroma.

Taste

When it comes to taste, it is very similar to the aroma. The flavour flows with flavours of tropical and citrus fruits such as mango, melon, peach, grapefruit and finally lime. The hop addition allows a piney and resinous taste to follow mid palate. The malt bill allows a soft, sweet and creamy edge which compliments the hop forward nature. The bitterness is moderate and clean. The finish of this brew is smooth and refreshing with a lingering hop bitterness. Overall, this is an incredibly hop forward sipper which was equally as refreshing as it was smooth. Bursting with flavour, this is a top notch brew.

Time for my verdict

This brew was genuinely top tier and this was it being 6 months out of date and not even being consumed in the country of origin. This was supremely hop forward and had a pleasant level of bitterness which allowed this to be extremely refreshing. At 8%, you couldn’t particularly tell the warmth from the alcohol. I honestly wonder what it would have been like when fresh but in the meantime I really enjoyed this drink. This most certainly gets a rating of 4.75 out of 5, it would definitely receive a 5 out of 5 if fresh.

Where did I purchase this beer?

I bought this beer from Rehills of Jesmond. This is a cracking bottle shop and I highly recommend it if you in and around Newcastle.

Thanks for reading my review. If you liked this review you will love my review of Pühaste Mindcatcher.