Musty dark fruits and pungent nut grains overwhelm gentle hop flow to subtle coffee finish. Moderate cocoa bitterness, pale malt sweetness, and berry piquancy pervade mildly spicy aftertaste. Softer, drier, and less harsh than most nut brown competition.
All posts by John Fortunato
RED HOOK LONG HAMMER INDIA PALE ALE
Finely centrist white bread-wafted IPA admirably counters smoothly bitter piney hop thrust with honeyed cereal oats, toasted barley, and cracked wheat. Furtive orange-tangerine tang and grapefruit rind sharpness engage caramelized malt sweetness, knocking back petite floral-wood tones.
RED HOOK LATE HARVEST AUTUMN ALE
A tad watery, metallic, and indistinct for amber ale styling. Sulking rye facade wanes as blanched brown sugared caramel malting falters to peat-smoked honeyed wheat spine. Flimsy pumpkin, white grape, yellow apple, and red peach mustiness slithers into lemony iced tea limbo.
RED HOOK I.P.A.
Ticklish fizz, continuous orange tang, and dry-grained bottom consume gently flowing spice-hopped IPA. Sweet barley undercurrent gets softly embittered by citric grapefruit-apricot-apple blast brightening mild piney-hopped finish. Needs further assertion to compete with unbeatable Ipswich IPA.
RED HOOK HEFE-WEIZEN
Though delicate for unfiltered half-wheat, this cloudy pale moderate-bodied German knockoff contains heavy yeast clumps and grain sediment to heighten its buttery bottom. Barley-oats penetrate polite bitterness by bland finish. Not as soft and sufficient as Widmer Brothers competition.
RED HOOK EXTRA SPECIAL BITTER ALE
Fruity nose, sweet barleymalt palate, and dry citric-hop tang given distant candied nut-berry backdrop. Closer to amber ale as its bright fruit zest directly counters brazen grain bitterness, but lack of bite diminishes piney finish.
RED HOOK DOUBLE BLACK STOUT WITH COFFEE
Progressively worse 2008 version, nicknamed ‘db,’ is a limited edition Imperial Stout sham. Disturbing astringency, shrieking metallic twang, and dirty mildewed oiliness override hop-charred stove-burnt coffee frontage. Chalky Baker’s chocolate souring, resinous cocoa bittering, and lulling licorice lapse disrupt coffee bean expectancy. Needs richer molasses penetration, better espresso creaming, cozier hazelnut-walnut backdrop, and more overall depth.
RED HOOK DOUBLE BLACK STOUT
Ever since Red Hook stopped brewing these with Starbuck’s Coffee (around the year 2000), the double’s halved in value. Not as heavy, full-bodied, or firm as original, lacking the rich coffee-nut thrust necessary for Guinness-like world class status. Happily, the charred hop bitterness remains.
RED HOOK DOUBLE BLACK STOUT (WITH STARBUCK’S COFFEE)
Brewed with Starbuck’s coffee, this now-defunct deep java-centric dry stout is never overbearingly bitter and perfect as a crossover for amateurs. Fresh Northwest water smoothness softens black chocolate resilience, creamy mocha latte scheme, and mild nutty undercurrent. Truly great distinctly robust alternative to decaffeinated coffee.
(RED HOOK) CHINOOK COPPER ALE
Casual dry-bodied lightweight with slim grain roast, spiced hop tingle and embittered lemon-peeled apricot tang American wheat fans and pale ale lovers may appreciate.
RED HOOK BLONDE ALE
Unconvincing stylistic frivolity personified. Creamy barley-roasted malt pleasantry battles back wavered fruit sweetness existing somewhere below fizzy surface. Musty grain aura suits blue collar pilsner fanatics while summer ale drinkers may enjoy distant citric tang. Too predictable.
RED HOOK BLACK HOOK PORTER
Worthy ebony-hued London-styled porter combines roasted barley-oat alacrity with thick black chocolate malt extract for mouthwateringly robust treat. Lively hops fuel carbonation as rich grain bottom solidifies dry nutty contour without becoming too filling, enabling you to drink that much more!