I love seasonal beer tasting. I think it has to do with the adventure of tasting a beer that you clearly know has a purpose and a reason for existence beyond the normal reasons, of course. Redhook Late Harvest Autumn Ale caught my eye at Fred Meyer today and I picked up a couple of bottles.
I headed into this one with a lot of apprehension. The last 5+ beers I have had have just been so mediocre. Nothing really good coming out of some of the tastings I/we have had. So, I guess I was thinking the worst when I poured this and took my first drink… thankfully, though, Redhook didn’t let me down and I am very happy to say that they have broken my dissapointing beer tasting streak.
This fine seasonal ale pours a wonderful copper-orange color with a nice tan head that rose about 1/2 an inch. The beer smells spicy but not overly so… you really have to concentrate, but it is there. The taste is fairly complex in the first 50% and then it easily becomes much more simple and leaves you cleanly and evenly… although I did have to pause for a minute to think about what I was tasting. Hoppy at first, this beer has a wonderful bitterness in the early stage but the finish is super-mellow. This makes for a flavorful but easy drinking beer that satisfies after a long day of work.
JBB6 Rating: For the Win
