Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition Ale

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

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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650ml Bottle. Nice thick pour with a thin head. Deep carmel color. Rich in flavorful roasty goodness. Chocolate honey sweet very sweet. Has a great kick!

Bottle. Pours a dark reddish-brown with small off-white head. Really nice lacing, a beautiful-looking beer. Sweet malts in the aroma. Flavor is malty with medium bitterness. Palate is a little heavy and sticky mouth-feel. Pretty good overall.

Bottle. Pours a hazy, amber brown with a one finger tan head. Sweet, malty nose with a hint of alcohol. Smoky, spicy malt signature with a hint of bittersweet chocolate. I get a little bit of the brown sugar but I don’t really taste any of the honey. An ok beer - good but I was a bit disappointed overall.

Pours a brown/copper, with a small beige head. Aroma of oak, brown sugar, and some sweet chocolate, which comes out as 8-4-1 warms. Medium body, with flavors of caramel, oak, and a soft sweetness. Overall, very drinkable, not as complex as I was thinking.

UPDATED: SEP 14, 2010 Clear amber pour with tan head which fades to leave a moderate lace. Cognac nose. Chocolate, honey and caramel malt with medium to heavy body and oak and whiskey flavors. Light carbonation with grappa undertones and a pine resin finish make this a session beer that would also go well with steak and potatoes.As much of an IPA fan as I am, I could have done without the dry hopping. They should have gone brown ale all the way!

Great effort by Red Hook. I was worried this was going to be a sweet, sticky mess. Candi sugar, brown sugar, and honey? Well, Red Hook delivered a well-balanced brew which actually borders on the bitter side. The smoked malts really shine through and are complemented by the earthy, woody oak flavors. Nice sweetness, though, it is certainly present but only enough to keep this thing in balance and not letting the wood/smoke run away from them. I actually enjoy this one a lot. The aroma is strong nuts and dried fruit, with some maltiness and only a faint touch of smoke. The taste is gorgeous wood, smoke, campfire, and sweet malts with a touch of suger. Bravo!

It poured a murky brownish-red, reminiscent of an old penny, and sported deep ruby red highlights in the sun. If it was murky initially, it seemed to clear as it warmed, which makes me wonder if it was a little too cold. A heavy - but fluffy - off-white/beige head built to just over a finger thick and dissipated gradually, leaving sticky spots of lace along the glass and a thin collar surrounding light patches in the middle. --- The nose was a little difficult to pick up on, and as it warmed all of the complex aromas seemed to melt together, but I’m pretty happy with what I pulled out of it with the time (and amateur nose) I had. There were lots of sweetly toasted malts, some honey, a light woody oak scent, burnt caramel, and hints of vanilla as it warmed. There were very few hops that I could pick up on, though there was an odd citrus tint that didn’t seem to belong with the rest of the earthy compilations. After some research, I deduced that the citrus was thanks to the Cascade hops, which are used as an aroma-type cultivar and produce obvious floral and citrus tones. --- My first swig of this heavily wooded brew was pleasurably smooth, made up of a medium mouthfeel with small but adequate carbonation that created a surprising kick of spiciness that mellowed out quickly. Another reason for the spiciness was thanks to the Willamette hops, which are a triploid aroma-type cultivar that are actually Fuggle hop seedlings, and they are known for their spicy/woody characteristics. Many of the flavors that were present were very obvious thanks to the resemblance to the nose, with a sweet malt, quaint honey and vanilla flavors, and a strong wood/oak base; all I needed was to be sitting on a mossy rock in a thick forest watching little insects floating lazily through the sunbeams. --- All of the different tastes were quietly and subtly wrapped in a smokey cloak as it rolled off my tongue, leaving just enough room for a mild bitterness to leak into my taste buds. The flavor was definitely a stronger version of the nose and carried lots of oak and wood notes, making it the most nature-istic brew I’ve tasted yet. I would love to take this with on a camping trip up in the mountains, surrounded by the tranquility of the trees and just being out in the wilderness. Being able to drink in the awe-inspiring freedom of nature while enjoying a delightfully crafted brew that pulls all of it perfectly into a liquid is a good way to cover each of the five senses. This is one for those who take time to appreciate their life and all the wonder present in the little things, even if that little thing happens to be the Grand Canyon.

The beer pours a clear brown color with a large brown head. Oaky aroma with some toffee sweetness and a hint of hops. The flavor has woody oak up front, some chocolate/toffee/caramel malt sweetness, and some late floral hop bitterness. The palate is full and smooth with soft carbonation. Not bad, but not as great as I was hoping for.

Aroma: chocolate, cereal, Appearance: clear, red, minimal head Taste: heavy cloying sweetness, medium bitterness Palate: full body, thin feel, average carbonation, long finish Overall: I like this beer. I’m not one for strong, "in-your-face" Imperials but I liked this. This is well worth the price tag, so go try it.