Redhook ESB, Harpoon IPA and Brooklyn Lager
On the way home from work this evening I stopped by ABC Liquors to pick up some beer. As I was poking around in the beer section I noticed that they allowed you to mix and match any beers that you wanted to make your own six pack. I picked up three kinds of beer to make up a sampler six pack. I gave Steve a call to see if he wanted to stop by my house to try the beers that I picked up and he said he would.
The first beer that we cracked open was a Redhook ESB. When I was in college at the University of New Hampshire we would make the short drive over to Portsmouth to tour the Redhook Brewery and fill up our growlers with the delicious beers they made there. Since that time I have had a soft spot for my favorite beer that they make, Redhook Extra Special Bitter.
Brewed by: Redhook Ale Brewery, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Overall: A-/4.05
Style/ABV: Extra Special Bitter/5.8%
Appearance – 4.25: Pours a nice copper color that was very clear. The head was about 1/2 and inch and quickly disappeared. There was minimal lacing left on the glass as I drank this one down.
Smell – 3.5: It smelled of malts with some floral hints.
Taste – 4.5: It starts out with a nice sweet caramel malty flavor and then closes with some hoppy bitterness. A very well balanced beer.
Mouth – 4.0: Not too thin feeling, not too thick but just right.
Drinkability – 4.0: This is a beer that I could keep in my fridge on a consistent basis but somehow go long periods of time without buying it.
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
We both agreed that this beer was a solid pick and I was happy that Steve liked it and drinking this beer made me think of hanging out in Portsmouth watching boats cruise up the Piscataqua River. I like beers that can take you back to a particular time.
After finishing the ESB we moved onto the second beer on our tour. This was another standby that I used to drink all the time back up in New Hampshire, Harpoon IPA. I started drinking this in college and quickly became a fan of Harpoons numerous offerings. I had not had this beer in quite some time and was happy I grabbed a couple bottles of it. It is a good IPA in my opinion and worth buying again.
Brewed by: Harpoon Brewery, Boston, Massachusetts
Overall: B/3.75
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale/5.9%
Appearance – 4.0: Orange gold and crystal clear, the head disapated fairly quickly.
Smell – 3.5: Not overpowering, grassy smells with nice hoppy overtones.
Taste – 3.5: Starts out with some nice bitterness, followed by some maltiness and then closes with more hoppy bitterness. I also detected some pleasent citrus flavors.
Mouth – 4.0: Light mouthfeel with good carbonation.
Drinkability – 4.0: A very refreshing and enjoyable brew. Just be careful since at 5.9% ABV this one can sneak up on you.
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
Steve did not enjoy this beer as much as the first one and I suspect that it was because he liked the balance of the ESB as compared to the stronger hopped IPA. I was just happy that he was willing to be adventurous since he had never had an IPA before!
Our third and final beer of the tasting was Brookly Lager. I had read about how good this beer was and decided to see if it lived up to the hype. Since a full six pack of this beer was $10.99 I decided to try one before making a larger commitment. I am glad that I tried this beer as it was a very good lager and lived up to its good reviews.
Brewed by: Brooklyn Brewery, Utica, New York
Overall: B+/4.0
Style/ABV: American All-Malt Lager/5.2%
Appearance – 4.0: Nice orange copper color with a good head that slowly dissipated and left behind a good amount of lacing.
Smell – 4.0: Mostly malts with a little toasted aroma and a hint of hops.
Taste – 4.0: Nice malt flavors that are well balanced with hops at the end. This is what a larger should taste like!
Mouth – 4.0: Smooth, refreshing and crisp.
Drinkability – 4.0: This was a very easy drinking beer that would go well with a variety of foods but also stands alone very well on its own.
Serving Type: 12 oz bottle
This was Steve’s favorite beer of the three and for me came in a close second to Redhook’s ESB. Overall, sampling the different kinds of beers and chilling out on an early Friday evening was a good way to get the weekend started!
