Sunday Night Suds - Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale

This week's belated Sunday Night Suds looks at Redhook's Mudslinger Spring Ale and at the same time bides farewell to an old friend.

[I again would like to apologize to the loyal kosher beers fanatics for my inability to post the Sunday Night Suds column in its regular slot. Although there are weeks where I will miss some posts, I have been endeavoring to always post a weekly Sunday Night Suds column so as to broaden the kosher market's understanding and appreciation of good beer. Unfortunately, due to Frontier Communications' unreliable service at Camp M, I was again unable to post the SNS column on Sunday. I hope to return to the regular format of Sunday posting by late August].

When I was beginning my journey from macrobreweries to craft brewers, I came across the bi coastal Redhook Brewery. I can still recall being in a beer store on Jericho Turnpike in Bellerose in 2004/2005 when I noticed a beer with an OU on the bottle neck. I picked up a six pack of Redhook ESB and soon thereafter a six pack of Redhook Blonde and my infatuation began to bloom. A few months later I found myself in the walk-in cooler in Walton, NY, trying to figure out how many six packs of different Redhook I could justify bringing back to the car under the watchful eye of Mrs KB. I began to look for Redhook in off the beaten path beer stores and even browsed their website looking for the golden Redhook beers - seasonal limited editions. The fruits of my labors found their way onto the pages of this blog with reviews of Expedition 8-4-1 and my favorite Redhook seasonal - Trippel.

With the above introduction in mind, I regretfully announce that Redhook has been decertified by the Orthodox Union as of March 31, 2011. I have confirmed with the OU that any remaining stock of Redhook which bear the OU is acceptable, however future production runs will not be under the kosher supervision of the Orthodox Union.

The Mudslinger Spring Ale pours a light brown with a small amount of foam. The first taste of the ale brings a surprising richness of flavor, reminiscent of the Expedition 8-4-1. The second and third sips revealed some caramel and a bit of chocolate. Sarah and I enjoyed this beer by itself after Friday night supper and truly savored its richness.

Redhook Mudslinger Spring Ale bearing the OU is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. For the experts' take on the Mudslinger Spring Ale please click here http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18134/55264.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver. If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

Finally, if you have seen this post being carried on another site, please feel free to click http://www.kosherbeers.blogspot.com/ to find other articles on the kosherbeers blogsite. Hey its free and you can push my counter numbers up!