Winterhook is Redhook Brewery‘s seasonal winter ale, which the brewery sent me the other day, as part of the early rollout of wintertime beers that has become the trend. (I love me some winter beers, but having them come out in September is just too early!) I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a Winterhook, so I was happy to pour these up.

Redhook first brewed Winterhook in 1985, and this is the 28th consecutive iteration of this beer. Each year the recipe is slightly changed, and this year’s is described as:

A rich caramel body and a big malt backbone are balanced with an unrestrained portion of hops and a dry hop finish, making this year’s winter ale slightly naught and very nice. The beer is brewed using caramel and Munich malts matched with Centennial, Cascade and Zeus hops, which create one heck of a brew.

This year’s Winterhook is 6% abv and 45 IBUs.

Appearance: Deep reddish-brown, clear, with creamy off-white head with nice legs.

Smell: Nutty and hoppy, a nice Noble-ish hop aroma (interesting considering the actual varieties used), earthy and wet and a touch spicy. A toasty, slightly roasty maltiness (Munich).

Taste: Steely, roasty maltiness with healthy hopping; similar to winter beers such as Widmer’s Brrr and Hopworks’ Abominable [big  hoppy red ale]. Rich without being too sweet, with a spicy hop zing that is nicely bitter with any fruitiness to speak of. Tasty, a nice seasonal.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a dry finish.

Overall: Nicely-balanced and hoppy red ale, easy to drink and a good one to have on hand for the winter months.

Winterhook on Untappd. BeerAdvocate: 81/100. RateBeer: 3.09/5, 53rd percentile.