Thomas Hooker Irish Style Red Ale

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

i guess barely into the 7 catagory in flavor. merit from a clean array of tastes that include caramel malt and a modest (as is the style) yet substantive (for the style) hop character. rather good for an irish amber. a bit sweet but i suppose the hop character that fades after some sips it what impressed me.

Bottle from jjpm74. Thanks John! Pours a dark auburn with a thin white head. Aroma of toffee and toasted malts. Tart crisp hops followed by toasted malts, light roasted malts and toffee make up the flavor. Finishes rather light and pretty clean with perhaps a touch of lingering toast/roast. Not complex, but not unpleasant. There just isn’t much going on.

12 oz bottle

This was a bonus in a recent trade from jjpm. Since I wasn’t in the mind for anything complex I decided to crack it open. It turned out to be a pretty solid release that seems ideal for those times when you don’t want something aggressively alcoholic or hoppy. A nice change of pace I could see picking up a sixer of this for parties to share with people whose idea of "good beer" is whatever the latest marketing from AB is pushing.

Aroma / Appearance - The short lived ash white head tickled the dark reddish brown body beneath. Black cherries, malt and raspberry iced tea blended to provide a hint of hoppiness that was not assertive at all. There’s nothing unique going on but it is well done for the style.

Flavor / Palate - A malty taste fills the mouth with whole grain bread slightly overtoasted. Next comes molasses and dark fruit before the dry finish. This was enjoyable, easy to drink and different than most of the beers that you run across on the site (not over the top in any way). I wouldn’t go out of my way to get some but if run across it save it for a night when you aren’t in the mood for something huge.

12oz bottle, no date from notalush--thanks Brandon! Clear garnet with a one finger beige head, took a short while to fade to a thick film. Dominant aromas of toasted grain and caramel malts. I’m only picking up on a hint of earthy hops. Flavor is caramelly and toasty sweet grain (think Lucky Charms without the marshmallows) with a little metallic tang. Semi dry finish with bitterness around a 2. Low to moderate carbonation with a light body. I can’t really find any faults here, but nothing jumps out as outstanding.

12 oz bottle, thanks to jjpm74. Pours mahogany with beige head. The aroma is toasted malt mostly, with some earthy and fruity notes. The flavor is mild toasted malt, with a hint of caramel and chocolate. It then gets a dusty bitterness and a sharp carbonic twang. Finish is a little bit of dark fruit and toast. Not bad.

From a 12 fl. oz. (US) bottle with no noted expiration date or lot number. Pours more brown than red. No head to speak of. The aroma has a hint of malts. The flavor has the sweetness of malts and caramel. In short, smooth and tasty. Next time I’m in Southern Massachusetts I will pick up a six pack of it. I only picked up a single.

On tap at Plan B, W Hartford CT. Sweet, malt-heavy aroma. Chocolate and caramel in the flavor in addition to continuing sweetness (but always pleasant, never overdone), and I even got some tart fruitiness. Fun stuff. 7-4-7-4-14/3.6
Rerate 7/29/08. Bottle. Weak, sweet, toasted caramel malt aroma and flavor. Bland. 6-3-6-3-12/3.0. Current rating averages the tap and bottle ratings.

Clear red body with a rather small off-white head. Sweet caramelized aroma with some light tea note. Sweet light caramel flavor, some light graininess and a touch of molassas. Medium body with moderately high carbonation and a slightly grainy finish.