Redhook ESB
Written: Jun 21 '01 (Updated Jun 25 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well balanced malt and hop bite. Availability
Cons: 25% owned by Anheuser
The Bottom Line: Not the most exciting beer, but widely available and pleasing balance of flavors. A good session beer that I visit regularly.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Belk's ESB |
Very often when I travel around the bars, diners and restaurants of Southern California, I’m disappointed by the lack of variety in beer selection. My local Denny’s for example carries nothing beyond Bud, Miller or Coors products. They used to carry Heineken, which although not my favorite beer was a better choice.
We can be thankful for products such as Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams, quality brews, which although not to be found everywhere, are still considered popular and mainstream enough for many bars to carry them. I find myself drinking these all too regularly. So it’s something of a nice surprise when I find Redhook’s flagship ESB on draft. It’s not quite as available as Sierra and Sam’s but at least in California it’s not too far behind.
This is one of my regular choices, and until it closed down was on draft at my local. Having not yet written a review I decided to pick up a 6-pack with that purpose in mind, but also with the added intention of drinking them.
A Little Background
Based in Seattle, the Redhook brewery was created in 1981, at a time when the American microbrew revolution was just starting to take off. Other Redhook breweries now exist in Woodinville, WA and Portsmouth, NH.
Redhook today is one of the larger reputable microbreweries, much in the same way as Sierra Nevada. Although part acquired (25%) by Anheuser-Busch, they still produce beers in accordance with the Reinheitsgebot (the strictest of purity laws). Today Redhook produces a respectable portfolio of brews the most widely available being the ESB. You will also see their Doubleblack Stout popping up in beer guides as one of the best beers available.
ESB = Extra Special Bitter and is based on an English beer style. English drinkers of course will point to the carbonation, which is not typical of an English bitter.
Brewed since 1987 the ESB is referred to by the brewers as: “a full-bodied amber ale”. It was initially launched as “Winterhook” before it became a year-round brew in 1988.
The Technical Stuff
Two row barley malts (as quality brews should be): Klages and Caramel 60°
Hops: Willamette and Tettnang
Bitterness: 29IBU’s (fairly bitter)
ABV: 5.7% (fairly strong)
Calories: 178 (no comment as I don’t care)
Tasting Notes
I was expecting something red in this beer the first time I ever tried it, but was probably a little fooled by the name. It does in fact pour to something of a lighter copper or amber color, with promising signs of carbonation. The white foam was more than adequate at first but had disappeared well before I was finished drinking. The nose gives a good indication of what to expect, it’s fresh and clean with noticeable hops and roasted malt as well as a little caramel.
It’s pretty light on the palate, and well-carbonated, maybe a little too much so. It does however make for easy drinking. The flavors are very well balanced a nice malty caramel sweetness at first, combined with a subtle hop bite and pleasantly dry bitter finish. This all combines into a well rounded aftertaste, satisfying but leaving you wanting more. It does become a little too sweet as the beer warms, so I recommend serving it right out of the fridge.
Nothing wrong with this one
Overall this is not too demanding of a beer, good malt and decent hop bitterness make this a great refreshing session beer. It’s not my first choice of ale or even ESB, but one that that I enjoy regularly thanks mostly to its availability. It might not be too exciting to everyone’s taste, but makes a good refreshing alternative to Sierra Nevada.
If you like ales with a little bitterness, Redhook is certainly worth a try, but I’d also like to mention Anderson Valley Belk’s ESB, Bass (a pale ale), and Fuller’s ESB as similar beers that I feel are better.
Food
I’ve never bothered putting food with this one but it does seem like a good beer to enjoy at a barbecue. It would work well with char-grilled meats as well as providing thirst-quenching relief on a summer’s afternoon.
Price
This beer was priced at $6.99, but as a big seller, regularly goes on sale. I paid $5.99.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: California via Yorkshire
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