Redhook Winterhook Hoppy Dark Lager

Winterhook is Redhook’s legendary winter ale, brewed annually since 1984. Crafted with an evolving mix of malts and hops, each yearly edition of Winterhook is one-of-a-kind. This year’s incarnation crafted by header brewer Nick Crandall is a Hoppy Dark Lager, combining the hops of a dank IPA, the malt of a brown ale, and yeast profile of a bock.

Winterhook’s dark colors and bold flavors make it a perfect winter warmer for frosty weather.

3.1

901 reviews

Seattle, United States

Community reviews

2.8 Bottle. Creamy off-white good mostly lasting head. Dark amber colour. Moderate malty and and hoppy aroma. Light bitter flavor. Average light bitter finish. Herbal. Oily palate.

3.1 Bottle @ Lukassens Christmas Gathering, Herning 2016. Pours Dark amber with a small white head. Roasted dry and bitter with a touch of bread and fruit. Medium bodied. Bread and caramel.

3.1 Bottle from Taniguchi with a date stamp of Sept. 18th, 2016 served in a nonic half-pint glass. A clear mahogany brown color with a thick beige head that leaves a respectable amount of lacing clinging to the sides of the glass. The smell is of a rich malty biscuit/rye bread with a tangy citrus glaze that is almost iced tea like (orange pekoe?). The taste is bitter citrus, tannic, cocoa paste, then sweet iced tea notes and some chocolate. Quite an interesting take on a winter warmer with citrusy hops at the forefront then a bitter bread, coffee grounds and chocolate flavor. The coffee/chocolate roast continues in the finish and the hints of acridness tell me Black Patent malt probably played a small role in making this beer. Good to try once but I find the recipe doesn’t quite gel together.

2.9 12 oz in DC- Not sure color... drinking out of bottle. Caramel and light toast in the nose. Quite a bit of hoppy bitterness in the beginning, a hint of sweetness and then lingering hops.

2.9 Bottle. Pours a golden pale amber color with a small white head. Has a fruity malty caramel aroma. Fruity malty caramel flavor with weak hoppy hints. Has a fruity malty caramel bitter finish.

2.4 Bottle 12fl.oz. [ As Redhook Winterhook ]. Clear medium to dark brown color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, sweet malt, toasted, caramel. Flavor is moderate sweet with a long duration, rubber, sweet malt, toasted, caramel. Body is medium, texture is oily to watery, carbonation is soft. [20161112] 5-3-5-3-8

3.3 Sample from a bottle. Clear amber colour with an off-white head. Aroma and flavour of malt, hops, caramel, fruit, spice and bitterness.

3.1 Bottle@TTBS, Copenhagen - Amber pour with off white head. Sweet malty and dark fruity aroma and taste, with notes of caramel, toffee, hoppy backing, sweet malty close.

3.3 Bottled. An amber beer with a tan head. The aroma notes of malt, caramel, and a bit of spices. The flavor is sweet with notes of malt, caramel, and herbal hops, leading to a bitter finish.

3.2 12 fl oz bottle. Pours clear and golden orange with a small tan head. Aroma is toasted malty. Breadish. Sweet, toasted and slight hops fruity. Mild herbal. Bitter and fruity far finish.

2.5 Bottle, 6%. Clear dark amber/brown with small tan head. Aroma is malt, caramel, biscuit, dusty and bread. Flavour is malt, caramel, notes of smoke?, biscuit, bread, medium sweet, spices, yeast? and a little bitter.

2.9 Bottle @Ulfborg Scooper. Clear brown, offwhite head. malty, caramely aroma. Flavour has malt and strong, lasting, rough bitterness. Odd.

3.2 Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Hazy brown with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel and dark fruit. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet and moderate bitter finish. 121116

3.5 On tap. Pours a reasonably clear amber brown with a thin beige head and great lacing. Aroma is woodsy. Flavor is a well balanced mix of malt and hops. A bit smokey. Aftertaste lingers and is medium in bitterness.

3.8 #31. 12oz short-neck bottle into a Schooner glass. Deep reddish, light-brown colour with weak off-white foam. Malty, caramelly, a cool bready and toasty flavour with bright coffee-like acidity (amber malt? brown malt? it definitely seems more complex than the overused Victory malt). No diacetyl, some nice, earthy, resiny, fruity hops, more in flavour than aroma. Medium body and carbonation, great bittersweet aftertaste. An authentic English strong ale, very tasty, easy-drinking with just a hint of alcoholic warmth. Well-crafted and very tasty.

3.8 12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 9/11/2015. Pours lightly hazy reddish copper color with a 2 finger dense and rocky light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amoutn of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/nuttiness, plum, apple, herbal, floral, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light chocolate/nuttiness, plum, apple, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, herbal, floral, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and no astringent hop flavors after the finish. Light dryness from bitterness, that increases through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly sticky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good English strong ale. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

2.3 APPEARANCE- medium amber color and orange hue. Great head and lacing, even hours later. NOSE- caramel and malty sweetness. FLAVOR- some sweetness and clear malty character. Finishes with a bitterness that could be nice for the style, but the flavor isn’t very pleasant.

3.3 Bottle pour into nonic pint glass from Hannaford, Bedford NH. Aroma is straight bready malt. Appearance is clear reddish-amber with huge sparkle, rocky creamy beige head with excellent retention and mild lacing. Taste is bready malts with mild dank resinous hops. Palate is light bodied with thin texture, average carbonation with mix of malty and bitter finish. Overall, a highly drinkable beer with little nuance that has improved over the version a year ago with less citrus astringency, but still no warmth or evident alcohol so other than taste seems misclassified as a strong ale.

2.4 12 ounce bottle poured in wine glass Appearance: Dark amber, with some head dissipates a bit slowly and minimal lacing Smell: not a lot of aroma, some hint of toated grains Taste: Nice initial taste, but not a lot of follow through Mouth feel: Overall: Good beer but not something to look forward to, commercial Today is January 23, 2015

2.6 Bottle. Pours an amber color with white head. Caramel, toast, malty, slight booze aromas. Malty, toast, slight metallic flavors. Pretty blah, pass.

3.3 Dark Copper Color, Huge Foamy Head That Lasts, Spotty Lacing. Malt , Faint Hop Aroma. Malt, Lightly Toasted, Modest Hop Bitter, Faint Citrus. Medium Body. While It Is Not That Impressive at First It grows on You. Easy to drink, Smooth. Simple but enjoyable. Funny Scandinavian Sweater Knit Pattern Label... Decent.

2.9 Pretty solid brew. No real aroma and honestly not particularly bold flavors, but just decent dark beer. A little creamy.

3.0 bottle from Adam Stovall - Thanks! --- Clear dark amber color, off-white head cover, spots and dots of lace. Taste is Full bodied malt with a little roasted overtones, that moves through a lightly carbonated swallow to a finish that has light hops, and serves to dry the palate. Overall a little heavy, but still quite drinkable.

3.2 Pours a light brown with a smallish head. Slight aroma of grapefruit and fresh cut grass. Flavor is a not at all like the aroma. Malty and sweet with just a bit of bitterness at the finish. This beer doesn’t have the best aftertaste.

3.3 Had this out of a bottle, but it is copper in color. No lacing or head retention either. Smells malty, like a red. Tastes sweet and malty. Has a flavor of honey and some clove. A decent session beer for the holidays, but that’s it.

3.0 Poured a copper color with an energetic pillowy head.......aroma is a bit light, faint malt.......taste is sweet malts, fair mouthfeel, but short of flavor.

2.4 Shared with the fellas...not that great....too much malt balance is off...hey it was free!

3.3 330ml bottle in Reykjavík. Aroma is brown sugar, caramel. Appearance is dark brown with a light brown-ish head. Taste is bitter and light sweet. Dry-ish and a medium carbonation. Very nice.

3.5 Brownish, clear, with yellow foam. Mild Candice, malt, caramel, in the aroma. Sweet malt, with burned sugar in that grows into a sweet burned aftertaste that grows, Watery and high in carbon

3.6 pours a burgundy copper with a medium off white head. Aroma is floral. Taste is bright and hoppy, hint of citrus. Moderate hoppy bitterness slowly creeps in then slowly fades through the finish. Good beer.