Red Hook-Winter Hook #27

Seattle, Washington's Red Hook Ale makes a tasty little winter ale that goes by the name Winter Hook. This brew is sold in cool little bottles that feature an intrepid little dude ski jumping over a mountain and are emblazoned with the slogan "Winter Hook #27--Has Absolutely No Interest in Sitting on Santa's Lap."

Winter Hook pours a rich, reddish-amber colour.  It is topped with a thin layer of off-white head. It is lightly carbonated, but leaves lots of lacy residue on the glass. Winter Hook has a malty, sweet aroma of toasty caramel. Likewise, the taste is quite malty--best described as toasty and warm. The aftertaste is a surprisingly well-balanced blend of bitter and malt (surprising because in my experience, most winter ales are heavy on the malt at the expense of hops).

W.H. is not nearly as high-gravity of many of its other winter ale brethren. It sorta falls on the light side of the strong ale category at 6% alcohol. This makes it excellently drinkable.  It's a nice brew, definitely worth sampling.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.