Beer of the Weekend #96: Late Harvest Autumn Ale

The beer this weekend is Late Harvest Autumn Ale brewed by the Redhook Ale Brewery of Woodinville, Washington.


Brewed since 2005, LHAA is Redhook’s brew for autumn; it’s only available from August to October. Now, as a Midwesterner, and someone who’s familiar with fall harvests, I don’t think October even classifies as “late harvest.” Late harvest, in my opinion, would be sometime in the next week or so — mid-November. That’s late harvest. But whatever. If the beer’s good, I’ll let it slide.

Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The born-on date printed on the bottom label (there are two distinct labels above and below an etching of barley on the bottle) is “Aug 25 09.”

Appearance: Poured a copper, almost amber red, color. Two fingers of thick foam developed and dissipated to a spotted lacing with ring around the edge.

Smell: The aroma is much like that of a pale or amber ale. Invigorating grapefruit upfront, which makes way for smooth caramel malts. As it warms a honey scent comes into play.

Taste: Well, it’s Redhook, so there’s an immediate hop presence. On that note, it tastes much more like a pale ale. Prominent grapefruit upfront, followed by caramel and the smooth honey.

Drinkability: Late Harvest is a decent brew. Not sure if it would go well with tailgating, or late nights in the combine (not that I condone drinking and harvesting), but it’s drinkable.

Fun facts about LHAA:

-Price: I threw away the receipt, but I think it was $7.49/sixer with my BevMo! card.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.9 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: The Redhook website says, “Late Harvest pairs nicely with grilled burgers or any tailgate cuisine.”

-Color: 19 SRM.

-IBU: 32.

-Gravity: 14.65º Plato.

-Calories: 198.3 per bottle.

-Listed on the Redhook website, the malts used in LHAA are Pale, C60, C70/80, C Vienne, and Smoke. The hops are Willamette, Saaz, and Chinook.

-As far as I can tell, the Redhook website no longer features that annoying and useless beer guru/bartender it had last winter when I sampled Winterhook. There is an “Ask the Beer Guru” page, but there’s no Flash animation of a complete tool.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B.

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