Let’s face it, my Redhook allegiance might not entirely be a result of the quality of their brew as of habit, particularly when looking at the winter seasonals. Deschutes, meanwhile, kind of has me excited every year. The brewery might not always hit home runs, but then again, none of their beers have ever been close to tasting like urine either. And that’s, at least to me, a good thing. (You can roll how you like.)
Their Jubelale is definitely their seasonal highlight, and last year’s edition might just have been their best in some time. And while the ‘09/10 edition is similar to the previous year, I can’t help but feel it’s just a bit more dull this time around. Just a wee bit.
Not that it doesn’t look and smell great—it does. The color is a deep, dark red with a lightly sweet smell of chocolate and raisins. Hitting the tongue, the first impression carries over: The Jubelale is fairly thick, though not insanely so, and there is a light sweet flavor to it paired with a mild hoppiness.
If this all sounds like a well balanced ale, then yes, that is exactly what it is. In fact, it might be just a little bit too well balanced? Last year’s edition had a heavier hop kick to it which, to me, made it a whole lot more interesting to drink. It’s not that the ‘09/10 edition is dull, it’s just a bit duller.
I don’t want to sound too negative, as I really do enjoy the Jubelale. Maybe I’ve just been too spoiled by Mirror Mirror? Either way, Jubelale is good, just not quite like it was last year.
Over the next few weeks we will be launching a few sites more ore less related to ye olde SFB. In fact, let’s go wild and just launch the first one right now: Only Eat Here.
The concept of the site is simple—every week a few dining spots, be it restaurants or grocery stores, that in one way or other are outstanding will be added to the guide. These places are sometimes off the beaten path, sometimes not, but should all be checked out by locals and visitors alike. Agree or disagree? Comment here on Spokane Food Blog and feel free to suggest your own spots while you’re at it.
And here we are again, the season with too much snow, too much cold weather, and just the right amount of winter seasonals. And as we do every season here at the SFB, we kick it off with Redhook’s offering.
And as we do too often with Red Hook’s seasonals, we feel mildly let down.
Winterhook is not awful, and this year it probably tastes just a wee bit better than last years offering. There are hints of chocolate and a bit of sweetness to the flavor when it hits your tongue, and that flavor isn’t entirely unpleasant.
Problem is, any and all flavors to be found are washed away by a rather dull watered down aftertaste. Now say what you want about previous Winterhooks—and honestly there are many things that can be said—but they have rarely had any issues with being watered down. In that sense, the ‘09/10 Winterhook kind of reminds me of Slim Chance. A light ale. That is not something a dark winter ale should stride for.
A disappointment from Redhook then. Luckily the always pleasing Jubelale stands just next to it in the grocery store, so we will see how that fares at a later date.
Yes, I know I said we’d be back next week, and we will, but as we have returned from a quick East Coast trip, this might be a good time to address a question that has been trickling in on e-mails and comments: what is happening with Taste Everything Once?
Long story short: Yes, I know it’s down, and no, it’s not coming back.
The longer story, why it’s not coming back, is really just related to it becoming too much of a hassle to keep it up to date in a worthwhile manner. Over the past year there has been an increased number of attempted astroturfing from various restaurant owners and their friends and family, and vetting user reviews has turned into a chore. And as I’m not doing that as a job, I really don’t feel like doing it at all anymore. A good alternative restaurant guide is Urban Spoon. (Particularly on the iPhone, where you can shake it and stuff.)
But hey, ye olde SFB will be here for you, like a warm cup of chocolate on a frosty winter evening! And over the next few months we will launch a couple of new projects that will fill the dark hole in your heart where TEO used to be. They will be cool. At least we think so.
