2008 has seen sort of a comeback for Redhook, after a couple of years where the Woodinville brewery seemed to have wandered sort of aimlessly.
The Double Black Stout was originally introduced in 1995 as a limited release craft beer, and has recently been brought back for a four month run through February 2009. It is a very dark stout with coffee added to it, enough so that you can probably just drink a pint of this in the morning instead of your regular Starbucks. Not that the coffee—or mocha I suppose, as there is certainly a hint of chocolate here too—is overpowering or anything, which often is the case with many coffee based stouts, but you don’t have to be an expert taster to notice it either.
Other than that the actual stout has a nice malty aroma to it, and is thick enough to give you that nice warm feeling you need during the sub-10 ° temperatures we’re “enjoying” right now. Dunk on Neil Halstead’s latest and pour yourself a glass of this, and you got a good evening going.
2008 has been a good year for Redhook. The Winterhook is definitely better than years past, and the Double Black Stout is surprisingly deep and flavorful.
- ABV: 7%
- IBU: 47