Thomas Hooker Blonde Ale

Brewed by Thomas Hooker Brewing Company
Style: Cream Ale
Bloomfield, Connecticut USA

For such a subtle style, this beer came through in a big way. Pours a bright yellow with a thick creamy head. Aroma is sweet and a little fruity, and a bit hoppy, with grassy, and lightly citric hops shining through. Flavor starts with a bit of caramel and bready sweetness, then finishes with a nice easy going hop bitterness. Grassy and slightly piney hops provide for a slightly dry finish. This surpassed expectations, very nice.

Cold 12oz bottle: Pours a slightly hazy medium gold color with a ring and thin layer of alabaster bubbles. Aroma is of dough, light grains and aromatic hops, with notes of flowers, caramel, and light fruits. Taste is of light, sweet grains and dough well blended with subtle hops. Light to medium bodied and smooth with fine carbonation. Ending is malty with notes of flowers, light fruits and caramel.

(Bottle) A hint of hops, a little sweet, golden in colour. Almost tastes wheaty...a tiny bit sour. Decent, not too strong. A somewhat complex fruity taste emerges, like grapes. This was a light, enjoyable beer that still had flavor, and that had uniqueness and novelty as well. I enjoyed it greatly.

Bottle courtesy of jasonmech: Clear gold with a white head. Aroma, grassy hops some light bready malts. Flavor, yeast, light malts, some lemony citrus character, grassy bitterness on the finish. Not bad, pretty drinkable.

Bottle. Clear golden in color with a little white head. Malty hoppy aroma. Citrusy hops. Toasty malty flavor. Caramel flavor. Citrusy, grassy notes. Toasted malty finish. Crisp and clean tasting. Medium bodied. Decent beer.

Bottle. Clear golden body. Toasty pale malt aroma with light leafy hops on top. Good clean hoppy flavor - there’s a delicate light toasty base finishing with a slightly limey, leafy finish. A well-made, appreciable beer.

12 oz. Golden-amber color with a lasting ring of bubbles. Nose is caramel apple. Flavor is caramel, grain, light apple and citrus. Light-medium body is watery, tingly and dryish.

12 oz bottle, shaker glass. Fairly deep and a touch hazy golden hue with a pisser of a thin, foamy white head that immediately vanishes. Bright caramel and pale malts at the forefront with touches of cereal and that sweet smell I get from creamed corn (minus any corn or vegetal nature). Flowery esters come through in both the hops and a touch of honey in the aroma. Pleasantly bready and caramely sweet up front in the flavor with a full creamy texture (first time I’ve actually gotten that out of a cream ale). Hops are ever so light at the beginning and compete with a light apple acidity for playing time. The finish maintains the creamy texture and the sweetness seems to shift to a pure pale malt contribution while the hops add a decent floral bite. Texture is creamy as mentioned before, but this never seems to thick for a sipping beer. Carbonation is lively but not overdone. Not a world-beater, but quite tasty and without any glaring flaws. I’m still amazed by the rich maltiness and creamy textures that T. Hooker seems to be able to produce in all of their beers.