Redhook Treblehook

Brewed by Redhook Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Woodinville, Washington USA

Bottles from 2007:   Fiery amber, fairly clear, thin to moderate off-white head, a little sudsy, falls somewhat quickly, a few rings of lacing.   Pale caramel aroma, citrusy, orange peel thats been candied I suppose.   Very subtle hop presense.   A little bright on the tongue, fiery, backed up with some biting citrus peel like bitterness.   Has a sweet component, but is softer than the nose suggested.   Malts are there, but are actually a bit on the thin side.   Not alcoholic, to a degree, but certainly warming.   Finish has an aerosol sort of tinge to it.   Fusel alcohol perhaps.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate, and for a 9.8% Barley Wine its not as big as one would expect.   Not saying its thin, just not as chewy as you’d think.   Lingering fusels, albeit somewhat minor.   A little jab of citrusy sweetness exists as well.   I’m pretty happy to be able to try this offering from Redhook, considering they grew up in my town.   I just wished it were a little less hot, and certainly more meaty with regards to malts.   Then I think you’d really have something.   Otherwise, not bad, but could use a little bit of time to settle down but not too much as I think it would fall off quickly.   Glad I have many others to share with local fans.   Thanks brewandbbq for the bottles!

THOUGHTS: Nothing special, but way better than I expected from Red Hook. Hid alcohol fairly well at first, but it started to take over a little as the beer warmed. Halfway through the alcohol started burning my eyes, even. Needs more aging. It became cloying rather quickly. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, dark orangey red with an average to large, off-white head that mostly diminished, but left excellent lacing. The aroma was moderate to heavy caramel and molasses; moderate piney hops; apple, cherry, that barley wine smell and too much alcohol. The initial flavor was sweet and lightly bitter; while the finish was extremely sweet for a second and then rather bitter with a long duration. There was caramel molt, brown sugar, alcohol, barley wine taste, pine hops, cherry, raisin, apple, and molasses. It was well balanced. The medium to full body was syrupy with lightly soft yet tingly carbonation with a lightly metallic and alcoholic finish.

Date: November 04, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Hop City, Atlanta
Appearance: hazy amber, fine beige head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma, light earthyness
Flavor: dry and earthy flavor, plenty of bitterness, touch of fruity caramel sweetness, long bitter finish
Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: ** /4

Pours copper to light amber with off-white head that is significant, but dissipates within minutes to a thin rimjob, though much Belgian lace is left behind as the pint goes empty. Nose is light with some pine and mixed fruit. Palate is far more to the sweet side of things with caramel, honey, and hops come in afterwards in a lame attempt to balance it out (but don’t quite do so much). One of the maltier and less hop focused barleywines I’ve had in awhile..

Pours a clear amber reddish color with a moderate beige head that leaves a nice sticky lacing. Aroma is of distinct citrus notes, with pine, floral, and caramel underlying it. Taste features hop bitterness up front, with a sweet and prominent caramel to follow, and a long boozy roasted malt finish.

22 oz bomber. This is a very light barleywine, especially for the 10 plus percent abv. But then again, it might just be that the flavor is fairly mild for such a strong beer. Definitely nothing bad here, just lacking a bit of character. In the aroma, there’s some nice rich, fruity malt notes, a honey sweetness, and a earthy bark hop in the background. It poured with a minor layer of fluffy white head, a medium body, and red amber in color. The feel of the this one has a unsurprising mild alcoholic bite and rich body. Notes of mixed medium ripe fruits, caramel, sugar, sandwich bread, light citrus, and that same earthy tree note as the aroma. So overall pretty decent and kind of what I expected here.

Poured medium amber, caramel malts, fruit punch, little piney hops, little dark fruits.

650 ml bottle. Pours a clear copper color with a thin, clingy beige head. Taste is of malt, caramel, toffee, hops, pine, resin, fruit and grapefruit. Similar aroma. Slightly bitter. Nice lingering aftertaste. Slightly slick body. Easy to drink, almost too easy. Nice to have on a cold day. Worth picking up again.