Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock

I’ve traded this bad boy enough times, I figured I’d finally try it. The bottle was a gusher... it got all over my face, my clothes, and my kitchen. Err... I won’t hold it against the beer, though.

Poured black with a creamy light tan head. Beautiful aroma of dark fruits, molasses, and cinnamon. Taste is surprisingly dry, with emphasis on dark fruits, cinnamon, grapes... a touch of syrupyness. The hops have a much more dominant presence here than I would expect from a doppelbock. They bite the tongue and add to the dryness to create a long bitter finish. This actually seems to work for the drinkablitly of the beer, since some doppelbocks I’ve had have been too cloying. Despite the dryness, there’s not much alcohol character to this. Nicely crafted... could go well with food or on its own.

Thanks to cmaruschak for sharing. Dark brown (almost black) color with a thin dark beige head that diminishes slowly. Thin film of lacing. Strong roasted aroma bursts through immediately, with a touch of malt underneath. Rich body and more bitter and roasty than expected. However it smooths out pretty quickly. Flavors of roasted malt, coffee and a touch of spice and hops. The finish is tasty with an array of hops, spice and nuts. Really this Doppelbock is on the other end of the spectrum from the smoother and creamier types, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Thin to medium blackness with crimson brown lit edges. Stocky, firm, billowing, dark sandy brown cap grows at a wonderfully slow pace to a thick despenseful foam of chocolate milk bubbly froth. Dense thickness proceeds to keep its position whilst engaging the liquid. The lacing is placed in creamy patches. Aroma is delicate and lofty with a robust tangy malt base heeding to molasses and dark cherry/plum. Sensitive dark chocolate cookies and toasted spiced breads linger over the top with some nuts, cinnamon, seasame, and fresh clove. Turns a bit woodsy and oily after its been sitting along with a note of farmhouse yeasty must. The delicacies this has on the nose are outstanding. Its no beast mind you. Its soft and frail to the point of memory. Lovely! Taste has a big malty start with a large portion of molasses and dark cherry bringing a sweet intial shock to the palate. Loaded and full of high and sweet tang. Levels off after some time in the glass and after the first few minutes of sipping. Middle reveals a slight chocolate underlay with a cookie dough sweetness keeping it a tad buttery and vanillafied. Turns darker with roasty malts and slight smokey earth as the chocolate helps lead away from the intial tang of sweetness. Finish smooths out with more delicate mannerisms then the front and middle. Nicely melded spices of nuts, cinnamon, ginger, herbal hops, and fig cross and mend the rest of it together as it floats off with a ghostly dignified dryness. It grows in complexity, which is by far the most intriguing thing about this beer. Sip to sip it keeps bringing more fragile layers within. Body of this beer is huge. Continuingly full. Big on malts with tang at first, then toast and roast, then spices and smoothness. Has a unique Belgian-like crispness in with the tangy front that twists and drops into smoothened silky rich wonderment of malt complexities and airy spice. Wow, what a ride! This doesn’t seem like 8% at all, it has a much bigger presense, without any alcoholic hints what so ever. The drinkabilty is a bit more slowed down and appreciable. A damn fine Dopple.

This was great. Liter swing top botte, chocolate and dark fruits, I enjoyed this alot. The 8% was well hidden, and get your hands on this one.

2004: Poured dark cola with a thin tan head...smell is caramel, chocolate, alcohol...the chocolate was pronounced in the flavor as well...sweet chocolate with a great mouthfeel and alcoholic finish...nice...

Sampled both the 2004 and 2005 thanks to DYCSoccer. The numbers reflect the 2004. Pours a very dark brown color, almost black from a distance with a tan head. Rich aroma of chocolate malt, plum, tobacco, and some toasted nuts. Flavor is of chocolate and dark fruits. The year or so in the bottle has taken some of the sharp edges off of the beer leaving you with with a doppelbock that shows remarkable restraint. This is excellent. The 2005 would get 7/4/7/4/14. The aromas and flavors of the ’05 are brash and do not hold back as much and I feel it detracts from the beer overall. Still, quite a nice doppelbock.

Big thanks to Casey. We tried both the ’04 and ’05. These ratings reflect the 04 which was far superior. Nose is maple, butterscotch, a little alcohol, dark fruit. Nearly black with some red light shining through. Rich malt, plum, dark fruits, tobacco, butterscotch. Really great dark fruit finish. Tingly. Amazing.

Side-by-side reviews of the 2004 and 2005, thanks to Casey (DYCSoccer17) sharing. I liked the 2005 better, and its qualities may be entirely attruibuted to freshness, bolder flavour,bitterness, tabacco, cocoa creaminess, bigger head. A joy. The 2004 was more of a malt experience, with generous chocolate malts and a barleywine taste, little hops, slightly oxidized which others may enjoy. My rating is based on the higher 2005.