Redhook Winterhook

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

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a medium sized head of foamy finely sized tan colored bubbles that were long lasting and left behind a strong bubbly carbonation transparent copper brown colored body. The aroma was hoppy and brown malt. The crisp mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish. The mild flavor contained notes of sharp hops nutty malts and brown malt. A quaffable decent one that I would consider drinking again.

Good drinker. Well balanced. No lingering aftertaste. Finishes clean. Pours a murky brown with a small head.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle from Total Wine Sterling. It pours a deep amber color with a frothy, light tan head. The nose is light and has notes of toasted malt, caramel, and a hint of spice. The flavor leans towards the malt side as expected with a winter brew. Light caramel notes combine with slight florals, fruit, and spice notes. Medium body with medium carbonation and a short to medium finish. Overall rather unremarkable but not offensive either.

12 oz bottle. Pours brownish copper in colour, with caramel coloured head. Good lacing. Malty aroma. Taste is rich malty flavour, roasty, hints of raisin, smoke. Warming.

UPDATED: OCT 16, 2010 Winterhook--1997 12 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV? (4.0 / 5.0) ESB Flavor. Winterhook--Robust-- 12 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (4.5 / 5.0) ESB? Deep Amber color. Rich flavorful malt body is spicy but not spiced. Tasty classic defining the Winter Ale Style. Sampled 11/4/1998. Winterhook--Robust-&# 12 oz. Bottle. 7.00% ABV. (4.25 / 5.0) Winter ESB. Clear dark cherry red color. Smoky toasted hop front. Rustic malt body with light sweetness and strong roasted flavor. Lightly spiced. Rich and balanced. Sampled 11/13/1999. WinterHook--2000 Limited Edition 12 oz. Bottle. 5.60% ABV. (3.25 / 5.0) ESB Winter Ale. Clear pretty deep amber red color. Spicy mild malt hop front. Medium body with sweet roasted flavor and cherry fruit notes. Generic flavor. Ends with a bit of malt spiciness. Overly sweet, underly flavorful. Sampled 11/9/2000. WinterHook--Robust Winter Ale--2000 Limited Edition 12 oz. Bottle. 5.60% ABV. (4.5 / 5.0) Winter ESB. What a difference a year of aging makes! Slightly hazy rich copper amber color. Lacy head. Mild malty hop front. Creamy incredibly smooth malty roasted mild spice body. Ends with smooth hot hop mild spice. Sampled 11/2/2001. WinterHook Winter Ale--2000 22 oz. Bottle. 5.60% ABV. (3.75 / 5.0) ESB? Clear rich red amber color. Mild floral malt hop front. Malty sweet doughy body with slightly spicy ESB notes. Balanced hop spice finish. Nice spiced medium bodied ESB. Tasty Brew but weak as a Winter Ale. Sampled 12/23/2000. WinterHook--2001 Limited Edition 12 oz. Bottle. 5.50% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Clear rich copper bronze color. Light head. Medium lace. Mild hop malty roasted slightly spicy front. Rich sweet roasted body. Caramel cherry biscuit notes. Mild clean smooth hop nutmeg end. Winter ESB. Sampled 10/30/2001. WinterHook--2002 Limited Edition 12 oz. Bottle. 6.11% ABV. (3.75 / 5.0) Winter Ale. Mild head. Thin lace. Clear thin copper red amber color. Toasted light cinnamon floral hop front. Sweet smooth toasted cherry caramel fruit mild spice nut body. Clean balanced mild earthy hop end. ESBish. Sampled 12/2/2002. WinterHook Winter Ale--2003 12 oz. Bottle. 6.00% ABV. (3.75 / 5.0) Winter Ale. Light lacy head. Clear bright ruby red color. Toasted mild spice mild hop front. Creamy sweet thick light toasted caramel earthy fruit mild Winter spice body. Smooth light tangy mild hop end. Bland. ESB? Sampled 1/6/2004. WinterHook Winter Ale--2004 12 oz. Bottle. 6.11% ABV--29.2 IBU’s. (3.75 / 5.0) Winter Ale--Roasted. Clear thin bright dark bronze red color. Mild lacy head. Mild roasted malt spice hop front. Thin dry sweet mild roasted caramel body with light nutmeg citrus notes. Clean mild malt spice hop end. Bland. 10/23/2004. Winter Hook Winter Ale--2005--New Block Graphic--Longneck Logo 12 oz. Bottle. 6.00% ABV--29.2 IBU’s (4.25 / 5.0) Winter Ale--Dark. Tight lacy head. Clear thin bright copper amber color. Mild roasted floral malt hop front. Earthy crusty rich crisp mildly smoky rich caramel ESB body. Tangy malt spice mild bitter hop end. Wintery ESB. Nice. Sampled 10/15/2005. Red Hook WinterHook Winter Ale--2006 New Block Graphic--Longneck Logo 12 oz. Bottle. 6.00% ABV--29.2 IBU’s. (3.75 / 5.0) Winter Ale--ESB. Creamy lacy head. Thin amber bronze color. Mild hop mellow malt spice front. Clean dry sweet mild toasted caramel biscuit toffee body. Clean mild hop end. Smooth clean but bland. Bad Buds? Better Last Year. Sampled 9/30/2006. Red Hook WinterHook Winter Ale--2007 Block Graphic--Longneck Logo 12 oz. Bottle. 6.00% ABV--29.2 IBU’s. (3.75 / 5.0) Winter Ale--ESB. 6-Pack $6.99. Mild head. Clear thin bright amber color. Mild hop malt spice front. Mild sweet creamy caramel malt spice body. Mild tangy cinnamon mild hop end. Clean easy malt spice mild Winter Ale. Mild Amber malt flavor. Sampled 1/20/2008. Winter Hook Winter Ale--2008 New Block Graphic--Longneck Logo Bottle 12 oz. Bottle. 5.90% ABV--29.2 IBU’s. (3.85 / 5.0) Winter Ale--ESB. Rocky lacy rich big off white head. Clear thin bright dark amber bronze color. Mild toasted mild hop front. Dry sweet thin easy toasted mild earthy burnt malt spice hint body. Crisp hop nutmeg hint dry refreshing mild end. Easy bland somewhat tasty weak Winter. Sampled 3/2/2009. 6-Pack $6.49. Winter Hook Winter Ale--2009--New Block Graphic--Longneck Logo 12 oz. Bottle. 5.90% ABV--29.2 IBU’s. (4.0 / 5.0) Winter Ale--ESB. Thin lace hint tan head. Clear pretty rich bronze red color. Toasted mild hop delicate Winter spice front. Crisp mild creamy sweet toasted toffee candy mildly earthy roasted doughy Winter spice body. Clean smooth mild hop vanilla cinnamon hint end. Well made. Sampled 10/13/2009. 6-Pack $6.99. Red Hook Ale Brewery, Inc.--Winter Hook Winter Ale--2010 12 oz. Bottle. 5.90% ABV. 29.2 IBU’s. (3.5 / 5.0) Winter Ale--ESB. Light tan dense medium mild lace head. Clear bright rich copper color. Toasted mild caramel mild hop malt spice front. Rich medium sweet toasted caramel biscuit slightly crusty rich malt body. Clean satisfying smooth mild hop spice end. Well made Winter Amber. Sampled 10/16/2010 from 6-Pack purchased for $6.99 at Seattle Fred Meyer--Ballard on 10/16/2010.

Poured a dark amber color with a two finger whitish head. Aroma of caramel malt and raisins. Flavor is caramel malt with earth notes and a toffee note.

Deep brown in color with a quickly diminishing tan head, this beer is bland with a bitter bite from the roasted malt. No spice. No character.

Appearance: Poured deep amber/brown with a small, bubbly beige head that faded quite quickly. Aroma: Not very aromatic at all, nothing jumps out. With a bit of swirling I picked up some caramel or roasted smells as well as a bit of spiciness of some sort. Taste: Quite balanced but a little sweet in the end. Caramel flavor dominate with some roasted malts in there as well. Towards the end there’s a tinge of bitterness but there’s also a nice earthy spice to ponder. Palate: For the most part it was smooth but below average carbonation left me with a watery consistency. Overall: Easy to drink and perfect for cold temperatures so can’t ask for much more, but it seems all the flavors and aromas are so bland and subtle that Winterhook just doesn’t stand out.