Very low expectations for this beer, as the history with Redhook and the aggressiveness of the style put me in a bad mood before I even open the beer. In the updated presentation for the Limited release Series from Redhook.
Actually, the style forced me into aging this for a year because I knew I would probably not enjoy the alcohol and hop intensity when it was young. This both is almost exactly 1 year old, and carries a date of SEP 09 2009.
Pour and nose are exactly as expecting, giving a mid-brown, low carbonated body with a lot of hop aggression and some alcohol. Head and lace are both minimal (again as expected for the style and ABV). All in all, not much to report initially, and pretty much to style – so far, so good.
Given that initially this beer fits the style well, I am assuming that over time these tastes have changed and mellowed a LOT. There is a fair amount of peach-like fruit character, a decent amount of sweetness and a hop profile that has probably dropped off a lot. Much more malty than I expected, and I suspect it is a lot smoother than it was a year ago.
Good decision to leave this for a year, and pleasantly surprised.