Redhook ESB

Brewed by Redhook Brewery
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Woodinville, Washington USA

Cask at GBBF08. Weak fruity aroma. Almost clear amber colour. Very small frothy white head. OK fruit flavour, some alcohol. Has a hint of plastic, but nothing to worry about.

Bottle. Pours light amber with frothy head that quickly vanishes. Light, clean, almost metallic aromas of some malt and hops. The palate was heavier than I expected with medium carbonation. Flavor is somewhat one-note flavor of a mixture of hops, caramel, and some malt that aren’t bold enough to either offend or impress. If this beer were a little lighter it would be more refreshing, but the heaviness of the palate and the light flavors seem somewhat incongruous. Finishes quickly with a little hops, caramel, and spice perhaps. Overall interesting but not enough there.

On Draft. Amber pour with a small dissipating head. Aromas are faint, a bit of malt a bit of a coppery aroma. Mouthfeel is not as bad as i thought, a bit watery but not too bad. Flavor is a bit muddled, caramel malt is present. A little under average and forgettable.

Draught. Small and quickly disappearing white fluffy head. Clear amber body. Mild caramel honey aroma. Honey caramel flavor mildly hopped, low carbonation, long sweet aftertaste.

Pours an amber color with minimal tan head. Flavors of caramel, lightly sweet but somewhat tangy. Decent beer.

ben came back to the republic of texas squawking about the glory of this beer. for my friend, i want to like it. he gave me a bottle. i like the retro red and gold bottle cap, the simplistic label design. it pours into the pint glass coppery, burnt orangy. very few bubbles. no dimensional pizzazz. i become nervous. my friend was so sincere. there is little to no aroma - small hints, as if from another person’s campsite over the ridge, waft up in the glass of maybe sweetish malts? the flavor confirms the possibly sweet aroma. perhaps some chocolate here. perhaps some harsh toffee. metallic hopheads spin from the malt edges like pennies on a tabletop betting ring. i feel chagrinned looking ben in the eye: i did not like this beer so much. perhaps it needs to saddle up beside a spicy sausage pizza slice. that’s what i’m feeling here. this is not a stand-alone beer.

Watery ESB, not very good. There are hints of hop, malt, but just a flat slop of stuff.

Cask at GBBF 08. Slight hazy amber. Thin beige head. Not a great ESB, some good fruit, but no body to back it up. I expected it to be darker to reflect the style. Some US hop on end. Bit of grapefruit. Still a bit murky as I’m not sure it was 100% ready to be served.