Redhook Winterhook

Brewed by Redhook Brewery
Style: English Strong Ale
Woodinville, Washington USA

not a bad beer, but for an english strong ale, there’s just not enough to taste. it’s rather piney tasting but there’s a nice cascade hop smell and it’s a pretty beer to look at. bottle from mollie stones palo alto, ca

Bottle. Copper and translucent. Not much in the realm of aroma. Faint hop aroma, maybe. The malt and hop flavor is light, what a let down. This one should not be a winter beer. It is neither rich nor hearty. The alcohol is too low and this beer does not deliver the winter goods.

10/9/07 From September ’05 bottle. Aroma is complex, with dark dried fruit (primarily raisins), alcohol, earthy hops and quite portlike overall. Appearance is a deep red with a good off-white head. Flavor is sweet, dark fruity malt forward with same graininess and faint resiny hop flora. Mouthfeel is fairly grainy with a medium/high carb feel. Overall, this is definitely the best Winterhook I’ve had. The recipe jumps around each year, but I think that this ’05 aged to the point that the carb texture drops would be one of the excellent winter warmers; I wish I’d saved my other bottles longer.

10/15/07 On draught. Aroma is c-hop forward followed by light caramel. Appearance is hazy gold with a medium off white head. Flavor is sweet malt forward with moderate bittering and good hop citrus. Mouthfeel is medium-high bodied with a medium-high carb bite, good graininess, and leaves a dry feeling on the tongue; slightly warm. While this does have very good balance, I find I do miss the winter warmer flavor.

orange-copper in color with a small white head. smell - roasted nuts, caramel, grain, hops, just a touch of spice taste - spice, oily, little bitter, a little sweet, some walnuts hidden way back in the flavor... good beer for the price.

This brown-orange color seems to be the color I’ve been seeing in many many beers lately. Thin head on top. Stale grain aroma, along with cinnamon and nutmeg. Palate is somewhat toasted and has a high carbonation feel. This stuff is okay, nothing special.

12 oz. bottle. This was better, once upon a time. Sample from the first batch into the local market, and I’m feeling let down. This is more like a summer ale than winter. The color is lighter, the nose and flavor more citrusy than in years past, and there doesn’t seem to be anything "roasty" about this beer at all. This is the ESB with a fake suntan. I like the ESB, and this is a drinkable beer, but there’s no Winter in this Hook.

strong ale at 5.5%? hints of caramel on the nose, good clean nut brown color. light flavor for a strong ale.

Less hops than their ESB, a bit more balanced. Nice overall beer but not perfect. Bit toasty on the malt side, heavy but not too strong. Maybe just a bit thinner than expected but not bad.