3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle at the Syracuse Holiday Brewfest Dec.04 2004. Yellowish brown with an offwhite head. Very hoppy aroma. Spiced malt andfloral hops in mouth. Rich bodied and interesting.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: DEC 30, 2004 Winterhook is a very nice ruby-tan beer with an excellent hop nose, mixed with some underlying malt toastiness. The flavor shows primarily the hops (more than Ballard Bitter, certainly). All in all, a good amber IPA, somewhere between Indica and Hop Devil. It would benefit from more malt flavor.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
A nice bark (fir) colored ruby. Head is creamy at first but does dissipate quickly. Appears like a well aged beer. This was the 2002 bottle. Aroma is full of pine and raisin, light hops and sweet caramel malt. Flavor is semi-sweet but the aging has done wonders for this one. It is smooth and mild, like a session strong ale. This was a surprise beer, I found it in a store hidden from view a year after release covered in dust!
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
I'm not a Redhook fan but this is good. Rich malt flavor balanced with roast flavor. Enough hops to ad to the mix without taking over
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle. Deep brownish orange, clear, tan head. Malty carmel aroma. Malty flavor with slight hoppiness. Dry finish.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Egg white type head, very dee copper color. Very fruity, hoppy aroma, hints of dry-hopping. Nutty, malty flavor with a hop flavor and lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. More in style with a thinnish IPA than an English Strong. Good beer, though.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: NOV 26, 2003 {2003 update: Very similar to the 2002, but fresher. More pronounced hop aroma and no trace of the vinegar in the finish. Delightful and I've updated my ratings accordingly.} 2002 Bottling. Poured dark reddish-amber with minimal off-white head. Aroma is smokey malts, a little spice, wood and grassy hops. Flavor has a nice malt base balanced with generous hops, there is a slight vinegar flavor in the finish that's a little distracting from the otherwise nice taste. Medium body and creamy carbonation. One of Redhook's better offerings.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Deep ruby color with a slim lacing head. Aroma full of malt and caramel. Medium body, slightly smooth. Some spice as well. Overall not a bad beer from Redhook.
3.6 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Pours with a five finger off-white head leaving a good lace. Nice crystal clear amber color. The nose is hoppy with some spices. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Flavor is a mellow blend of spices with a nice hop backbone. Decent winter ale. $1.50 for 12oz from Capitol Convenience, Concord, NH.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Full disclosure: I haven't been a Redhook fan since the origonal Ballard Bitter and then they sold out to AB... So I'm a bit biased against the brewery. In fact, I didn't even try last year's offering out of disgust.
Anyway, this is the 2003 offering, bottled, according to the lable, on 01-05-03, so it should be *well* aged by now.
Pours a dark brown with a decent head and some lacing.
Smells...Hmm, malty cloves at first, but more malt than anything else.
Taste is, well, rather underwhelming. Roasted malts and a hint of hops. Not bad, but highly understated for a winter beer offering.
Mouthfeel is a bit watery compared to other Winter beers. Overall it's better than any recent Redhood offerings, but still doesn't compare to Jubelale, Celebration, or several other Winter beers.
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