Oh Happy Day #9 – Redhook Treblehook

Christmas has come early, yet again to JustBeer headquarters.  This time, Beer Santa has delivered the latest in the Redhook Limited Release Series, Redhook Treblehook.  Consistent with their new packaging and labeling Treblehook comes with a red ribbon, some fancy packing foam, and an outstanding new glass that should help the brew open up and be the best it can be. 

More to come on the tasting… and here it is.  Enjoy! 

Redhook Treblehook Barley Wine

Previous Oh Happy Day posts:

• Oh Happy Day #1 – Pipeline Porter
• Oh Happy Day #2 – Fish Tale Organic Ales
• Oh Happy Day #3 – Bell’s Brewery
• Oh Happy Day #4 – Widmer Brothers Brrr
• Oh Happy Day #5 – Redhook Double Black Stout
• Oh Happy Day #6 – Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale
• Oh Happy Day #7 – Redhook Tripel Belgian-style Ale
• Oh Happy Day #8 – Widmer Brothers Cherry Oak Doppelbock

Official press release:

Redhook Ale Brewery Releases Small Batch of Treblehook Barley Wine

Two-Time GABF Medal-Winning Beer is the Latest Offering in Redhook’s Limited Release Series

WOODINVILLE, Wash. – Oct. 5, 2009 – Redhook Ale Brewery’s award-winning Treblehook Barley Wine is now available in 22 oz. bottles for a short time as part of the brewery’s Limited Release Series. This hand-crafted, labor-intensive ale was first introduced in 2007 and won a gold medal at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and a silver medal at the 2009 festival.

Boasting big aromatic malts, Redhook Treblehook pours a dark gold with a velvety mouthfeel and a slightly bitter finish. Brewed in the style of a traditional American barley wine with a 10.1% ABV and 57 IBUs, Treblehook sets itself apart by playing up the hops to add depth and complexity. Dry-hopped vigorously throughout the six-month process, Treblehook’s strength comes from its ability to have a strong hop flavor while still allowing the malt characteristics to shine through.

“We wanted Treblehook to have all the classic barley wine characteristics,” said Doug MacNair, brewmaster for Redhook Ale Brewery. “We spent time getting the subtleties right, balancing the malts with a strong hop backbone to create Redhook’s take on the style.” 

While ready to drink now, MacNair encourages beer collectors to age it for one to three years to evolve and enhance the flavors.

“Barley wine is one of a few styles where it’s possible to have both exceptional flavor and long-term stability. We weren’t willing to compromise either with Treblehook,” said MacNair. “The multitude of malts and many strains of hops we used with Treblehook will change the beer as it ages, mellowing and blending year over year. I love that I can drink this now, or have an entirely different experience after I open a bottle from my cellar in a few years.”

Redhook Treblehook Barley Wine will be on shelves in 22 oz. bottles (SRP $7.99) at specialty food stores and beer markets in limited locations across the country from early October until supplies run out.

Redhook’s Limited Release Series beers are brewed by hand in small batches and are only available for a short time. The series allows Redhook’s expert brewers to experiment, take risks and produce distinct, creative and award-winning varieties. Redhook will introduce another limited release in the spring of next year.

About Redhook Ale Brewery
Redhook Ale Brewery has been at the forefront of domestic craft brewing since the company’s formation in 1981. Redhook brews eight styles of craft beer, including: Long Hammer IPA, Redhook ESB, Slim Chance Light Ale, Blackhook Porter, and seasonal offerings Copperhook Spring Ale, Sunrye Summer Ale, Late Harvest Autumn Ale and Winterhook Winter Ale. Redhook beer is brewed in its breweries: one in the Seattle suburb of Woodinville, Wash., and the other in Portsmouth, N.H. Redhook’s specialty beers are available in both draught and bottles and are distributed nationally through a network of wholesale distributors.  For more information, visit www.redhook.com.

Lagunitas Olde Gnarly Wine (Limited Release)

With the wind howling through the trees and down my chimney, the rain lashing down, and a tough week at work just behind me I was definitely feeling in need of a decent wintery brew when I took a little stroll through my cellar and laid my sticky fingers on a 22oz bottle of Lagunitas Gnarly Wine. Just the right choice for a late Friday night , right? According to the label,

“The first sip is for thirst, the second one for pleasure. The third sip is for knowing, and the fourth for pure madness.”

and although I didn’t make it as far as the “madness”, I definitely got to the third stage.

A fabulously slick combination of flavours, Lagunitas’ brewers have cooked up a rich, smooth and satisfyingly sweet ale just the right amount of hops to add a little bitter kick that puts in an appearance halfway down the glass. With a deep vein of alcohol you certianly know you’ve enjoyed a thoroughly respectable pint when you’ve finished it, but not so completely over the top that you couldn’t manage two or three without falling over, I’d recommend this one highly.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win

Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws

From the Hair of the Dog Brewing Company in Portland comes this rollocking bottle of fun, full of the 2007 vintage Doggie Claws barley wine style ale (try saying that after you’ve have a few). Let’s not beat around the bush – this is one hell of an ale, kicking you where it hurts with it’s 11% ABV and a mouthful of sugary sweetness that lets you know you’re diving right in at the deep end of the creek without a paddle.  

 Bottle-conditioned to keep things changing over the course of its life (if you keep it correctly), first impression of the pour is of a deep red-brown ale with a creamy head frothing on top and a bright layer of carbonation keeping things busy in the glass as it tries to settle down. You can smell this ale from a mile off, the alcohol rubbing burly shoulders up against some sweet molasses and fruit, the hops a distant presence in the background.

Taste-wise is stands up well, the alcohol clearly in the fore along with a sweet stickiness that’s helped down by the bubbles and a decent hit of hops and malt that provide an ale you can almost chew on. Clearly one for sipping and not a monster session, here’s a barley wine you should lay down a case or two of and enjoy on those cold winter evenings by your fire for years to come. Thoroughly enjoyable.

JBB6 Rating: For the Win