Thomas Hooker Irish Style Red Ale

12oz Bottle. Rather aromatic caramel nose, pungent apple, and juicy brown sugar. Unexpectedly strong. Nice. Pours a beautiful tall caramel-tinted amber-sienna, with an off-white head. Flavor is less interesting. The punchy caramels lay back to some thinness, the classic dry Irish yeast twang and some heavy minerals. A good kick of hops throws a slight twist in the backend. The ingredient flavors are clean and forward, but nothing special. Solid brewing, just not a recipe worth pursuing, probably.

Typical irish Ale experience. The is caramel, malty, vegetable. The appearance is true to the style, red, clear, white head. The flavor is like the aroma, caramel, vegetable, toasted, decent. The finish is a light noble hop bittering, decent clean finish. Enjoyable, sessionable, but not remarkable.

Bottle, thanks to lithy for sharing. Amber with a nice ring of foam. Caramel and cocoa on the nose. Flavors of caramel, cocoa and some toasted nut. Near-medium body is smooth and roasty-dry.

12 oz bottle served in a clear pint glass. Pour is deep caramel with one finger of off-white head. Nose is malts, caramel, and a light roasted smell. Taste is exactly as it smells. This brew is mediocre, but I can’t say it fails in any category. It is also quite sessionable.

Bottle - Poured a dark reddish brown in color with a small tannish head that quickly faded. Aroma is malty with caramel, brown sugar, nuts and a slight amount of flowery hops. Flavor is also quite malty with lots of caramel and toffee. Hops not that apparent. Finish is slightly sweet with plenty of toffee. Good... not great... drinkable...

355 mL bottle. Bronze with minimal head. Mild aroma of dates, caramel, and walnuts. Nice. The flavour is straightforward caramel/toffee with a very slight earthiness. Very little hop presence. The lingering sweetness in the finish is pleasant, not cloying. Quite drinkable.

Tap: Deep dark red with an island of foam. Sweet maltiness with slight metallic twinge and dull oatmeal. Rich powdery oatmeal throughout. Tingly. Nice level bitterness. Very rich burnt sugar flavour with lots of nasal honey and a bit o’ boozy fruitiness. Smooth and slick. A bit sugary on the teeth. A little sickly, but well made.

A bit darker than what I’d expect in a red, but color is appealing. Dark and obscure. Strong malt aroma, with toffee. Taste is great...toffee and sweet maltiness, but "soft"....it’s extremely well rounded and mellowed, and a flavor that’s more like a belgian dubbel or scotch ale...in terms of the malt flavor. Hops are understated, but balance perfectly in my opinon. Half ince beige head. Delicious!