Redhook ESB

Redhook ESB

Redhook Ale Brewery is a craft brewery founded in 1981 in Seattle, Washington by Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker.  They found their first home in an old transmission shop in the center of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood.  They currently produce several different styles of beer including this one (Redhook ESB 5.8% ABV), Long Hammer IPA (6.5% ABV), Pilsner (5.3% ABV), Copper Hook (5.8% ABV) and their seasonal.  Their brews can be found in 48 states as of March, 2008 and can be purchased as 6-packs, cases, or a sampler 12-pack which includes 3 12 oz. bottles of the 4 beers listed above.  Redhook’s original beer quickly got the nickname “Banana Beer” as the local beer drinkers commented that it had a taste similar to banana’s.  Redhook quickly outgrew the transmission shop in Ballard and currently have breweries in Woodinbille, WA and Portsmouth, NH.  Redhook is currently owned by the Craft Brewers Alliance (CBA) after the merger of the Redhook Ale Brewery and Widmer Brothers on July 1, 2008, who would later acquire Kona Brewing on October 1, 2010.  Anheuser-Busch InBev currently owns 32.2% of the business with the Widmer brothers owning 18%.  For more information on locating Redhook’s craft brews in your area visit their website: Redhook Ale Brewery.

Redhook ESB is “Brewed in the style of a traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter), we’ve been making ESB continuously since 1987, and it’s now the benchmark for the Amber beer category.  Despite having “bitter” in its name, Redhook ESB is really not that bitter at all.  This brew is all about the balance of caramel malt sweetness completed by spicy, citrusy hops”¹.  Redhook ESB is an amber ale at 5.8% alcohol by volume (ABV) and an IBU rating of 28.  As above the beer was first brewed in 1987 winning the 2008 North American Beer Awards Gold Medal and 2009 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal.

General Information:
Style: Amber Ale
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 28.0
Color: Golden/Orange color with white foam head.

Mike’s Review

The beer comes in a 12 oz. brown glass bottle with a pry top cap, their label is very simplistic but clean which is nice.  The beer was poured and enjoyed slightly below room temperature.  The beer had good carbonation upon opening the bottle and poured into a goblet glass as pictured.  The beer has a Golden/Orange color to it with white foam head.  The head retention wasn’t great but then again it was only slightly below room temperature.  It has a light hoppy citrusy aroma to it.  As Redhook states ESB is not a bitter beer, less bitter then expected from its aroma.  It has a very slight roasty flavor at first which comes from the caramel malts and doesn’t have a very sweet flavor suggesting they use a low percentage of caramel malts, most likely for the color over the sweetness they can provide.  The roasty flavor quickly turns into a light citrusy flavor that sticks around for about 4-5 seconds strongly.  It has a dry finish to it leaving you wanting more.  Overall a decent beer although I must say I expected more.

Matt’s Review

Redhook ESB is a fine smooth amber ale. I enjoy my beer at a chill temperature poured into a pint glass. The color of the beer is a golden orange with a citrus aroma.  When I poured the beer it had little to no foam. On the bottle there is a quote printed, “Is, in fact, extra special. But doesn’t let it go to his head.” In my opinion, there is nothing special about this beer. It is a smooth beer, but it doesn’t make me want to run to the store to grab another one. 
 

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