Red Hook Late Harvest Autumn Ale

Red Hook is one of those Pacific Northwest brews that just doesn't make it to the east. Or at least, that's what I thought when I first started working on this post, but I'll get back to that. Red Hook ESB is one of the first Pacific Northwest brews I tried a year ago, and it's become one of those that I know is always a reliably good beer. The brewery was born in Seattle, in 1981. A second brewery opened in Woodinville Washington a few years later, and, as I just discovered, a third—in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Which means I can probably direct my New England beer drinking friends to a local supplier for Red Hook; that's pretty cool. Right now though, I want to talk about the Red Hook Late Harvest Ale.

I confess, I've somehow missed this one, entirely. Red Hook Late Harvest Ale is a regular seasonal beer for Red Hook; every year since 2005, from August through October. I know, I know, but I only saw this week. It's a decent traditional harvest ale; the sort of thing that's perfect for tailgate parties, and end-of-summer barbecues. It's made with Pale, C60, C70/80, C Vienne, and Smoke malts. The hops are Willamette, Saaz, and Chinook. It's 5.9 ABV; it drinks very very easily, though, so you might think it's under 5% ABV. This beer is more than it might seem at first swallow; it's complex in some lovely ways. It's also a beer that you really need to at least try once in a glass; it's a deep warm chestnut, and in a glass the aroma sort of opens up. Red Hook really has managed to capture the last gasp of Summer and the start of Fall in a bottle.

Excuse me, now, while I go see if I can grab another sixer before they're all gone.