Redhook IPA

Brewed by Redhook Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Woodinville, Washington USA

I’ve never had a problem with buying a 6-pack to try a beer; if I don’t like it, I can usually drink it down anyway and move on. In this case, however, I’d be better off drinking dishwater. This beer tastes very light, with a healthy serving of lemon soap mixed in with an astringent aftertaste. Worst beer I’ve ever had.

Bottle, Blue Bayou. Light orange body, quickly receding head. Light aroma of citrus fruit. Pretty decent hops. Malts leave a little bit to be desired. Kinda flat. Palate’s not quite up to snuff.

This copper pour is mad bitter. There ain’t much more to it then hops and bitterness. It was tough to get down but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

$1.50 @ Target. Pour is semi cloudy amber. A minimal amount of hops are present. Mostly a soapy, astringent taste at first. Gets a little better when it warms up. I guess it had a little sprite twist to it. I don’t think this would have made its way from England to India.

Pours a goldish orange with a thin head. Flavoring is a bit weak for an IPA, but this bee will do if you are looking for that "IPA twang". It was either this or nothing, but who would skip on drinking beer?

Golden color, a little light for a pale ale. Piney taste with bitter aftertaste with a slight bite. Smells citrusy.

Original rating 1/16/06: From the bottle

Pours a clear light orange with a medium-sized white head. The aroma is pine sap, a bit of orange peel, a hint of soap. The flavor is weaker than one might have hoped for, and the mouthfeel is on the thin side. Lots of soap and iron, yeast and grain in the finish, not the sort of long mouthwatering hop bitterness that one might hope for. The beer doesn’t get any better as it warms; rather, it tastes even a bit more off than when it started.

I’d drink this in a pinch in an airport bar, but one can do quite a bit better even at the local 7-11. 6/2/5/3/11 = 2.7

Edit 1/21/06: After drinking one from the bottle at a friend’s place, I think I was too harsh on the first go. This is a perfectly pleasant if somewhat mild session IPA, with good citrus notes. Upon further reflection, I’d be fine drinking this one in an airport bar (beats the hell out of anything I’ve ever found at a Sam Adams airport brewpub) and it probably matches the better offerings in many 7-11s.

Light yellow (lighter than most pale ales that I have had). Aroma isnt very strong but favors the citrus. Taste is full of citrus with a good bitter finish. Decent option.