The Swill: Winter Hook Winter Ale
The Still: Redhook Ale Brewery
Woodinville, Washington
http://www.redhook.com
The Drill: Seasonal Ale, 12oz bottle, 5.9% ABV, available mid-September through mid-January
The Spill: A tasty winter brew chock full of malt--9 varieties to be exact--it's a warm-you-up beer that's well-balanced by 4 different hop additions. Like many malty ales, this one smacks of natural grain sugars that bring on a mellowy sweet flavor reminiscent of caramel. The hops adds a slight amount of its traditional bitterness and leaves a clean finish on the palate.
Says Bill: For you inexperienced beer drinkers, allow me to clarify something. A lot of people try to figure out just why a beer that's described as sweet still tastes like beer to them, and is pretty much as bitter and sour as any other beer they've had. Beer is not wine. For the most part, it doesn't have fruit in it. It's not that kind of sugar. Ever had Multigrain Cheerios? The O's are different colors and are made of different grains: white ones from rice, regular yellowish ones from oats, and brown ones from wheat. Ever notice the brown ones are the sweetest? It's that kind of sugar. Beer is fermented grain, and as long as you remember that, you'll know what kind of sweet you're searching for, and you'll find it and appreciate it more.
Refill?: Yes, and I suddenly have a hankering for Cheerios while I'm at it: 3.5 taps out of 5.