Nick Carr on November 24, 2014 0 Comments Quick Characteristics Brewery: Redhook Brewing Co. Location: Woodinville, WA & Portsmouth, NH Style: Winter Ale ABV: 6.0% IBU: 45 Appearance: Clear, Dark Brown With Ruby/Amber Edges; Off-White Head Resembling Dirty-Snow Aroma: Strong & Sweet Maltiness; Notes of Dark Fruit Flavor: Roasty & Toasty Dark Malts; Rye Spiceness; Smooth Balance of Malty Sweetness & Hoppy Bitterness Availability: Winter Seasonal Pairs With: Grilled Pork, Curry Chicken, Edam Cheese, Double Gloucester Cheese, Toffee Apple Crisp I continue my winter reviewing run with another warmer that somehow had remained “off my radar” in other years. Is this a mysterious case of stealth beer? Perhaps, or maybe I’m just paying more attention these days, always looking for the “new.” Either way Redhook’s Winterhook as materialized in my beer world just in time for me to include it as the second in this Winter/Christmas beer reviewing series. The timing can’t be any better either seeing as it is Winterhook’s 30th birthday this year. That’s right, like Deschutes Jubelale this one’s been around for a long time. This winter warmer was first brewed in 1985 just three years after the brewery was started. The brain child of Gordon Bowker, Redhook was co-founded by Gordon and his newly found business partner, Paul Shipman in 1981. They found an old transmission shop in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood, and began to brew. Through the years they have continued to expand, including a landmark 1994 partnership with Anheuser Busch (I know, I know), which incidentally started up some name calling between Redhook and the Boston Beer Company. Pretty childish stuff no matter whose side you’re on. It’s easy (and funny) to imagine them as a couple kids on a playground during this time. Redhook run’s, teams up with the biggest kid on the playground, you know, for the playground cred. So Boston points his finger and yells “Sellout! Sellout! Budhook! Budhook! You’re a Budhook.” Well this makes Redhook a little mad and maybe he peaks around his big new friend and yells back “Oh, yeah! Well you’re a Scam Adams! Scam Adams! Scam Adams! You don’t even have your own Brewery.” Then there was probably a lot of Nay-ah’s and Yeah-ah’s thrown back and forth, followed by breathless stories recited to their mothers over cookies, some hot tears, and mothers, being mothers, no doubt told them to play nice with others. The short of it is the partnership greatly helped Redhook’s distribution and growth. Redhook is national and today has two breweries, one in Woodinville, WA and the other in Portsmouth, NH. Winterhook is interesting because they change the recipe slightly every year and, this being the 30th reiteration the brewery has sort of dug into the past, extracted the ingredients they liked in previous Winterhooks, and put them together for this big birthday year. The other thing to love about this beer, before you even get to the stuff in the bottle, is the label. I mean come on, who can’t smile and crack a joke about the uncle who wears the ugly knitted Christmas sweater? It’s an American Christmas staple, if only for the laughs. And that’s what Winterhook #30 proudly wears. Gotta give them a little credit for the label even before delving into the beer. Pour and Aroma Nice, clear and dark brown in the glass. Ruby and lighter amber highlights dance around the edges in the right light. A dirty-snow head rises to two fingers and almost makes good an escape over the side of my glass. Not much to the aroma. Strong sweet and roasted malts, maybe slight notes of dried dark fruit and a little kettle-hop bittering. Mouthfeel and Taste The taste follows the noise. Cola-like at the front of the palate. This quickly falls away to roasty and toasty dark malts. Add a bit of rye spiciness, and some hop bittering to this roasted quality and the beer comes across surprisingly bitter. There’s enough malty sweetness to mostly balance the beer, but leaves the weight securely on the bitter side. Some dark fruit character gives a little something to think about. Aftertaste is a little astringent with both bittering and sweet characters. The body is full with a medium mouthfeel. The 6% alcohol gives a pleasant sense of warming, expected in any winter ale worth its “warmth.” Finishing The Impression Redhook’s Winterhook #30 is a nice winter beer. Interesting how “roast” bittering it seemed, which was quite pleasant in the context of winter, reminding me of the first wood fires and adds to the overall play of “warmth.” I do have to say it isn’t quite as varied in character as Deschutes Jubalale, but it is a nice easy drinking, we’ll call it “quasi winter warmer.” A beer that firmly has its foot in Falls ending and Winters beginning. Cheers! Learn More: Jubelale Winter Ale from Deschutes Brewery Boomerang IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Tour De Fall Pale Ale from New Belgium Brewing Hibernator Oatmeal Stout from Black Isle Brewing Company
