Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock

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

Aroma:caramel,tofee.... Appearance:brown,good head... Flavor:Caramel,tofee,light bitterness....

I believe Jasonmech sent me this. I’ve had it before, but I was always a bit tipsy so never rated it. Good to finally get a bottle to have to myself. 2006 flip top 500 ml.
Has a fairly strong chocolate/cocoa aroma along with a touch of caramel and dark fruit. The body is quite dark, brown but approaching black and the tan head diminishes rapidly from it’s initial thumb thick size. Very smooth and round on the first sip. Quite malty with lots of cramel fruit and some very faint X-mas-beer like spice. Finish is roasted/toasted grains and caramel sweetness. Very nice brew.

500mL swing-top from porterhouse – thanks, Kevin! Bottled in 2006, sampled 10/10/07. Übermalty aroma, toast and nuts drenched in grape with caramel and fig and a touch of grit. Lightly funky underlying hops and a slight touch of grain. Deep dark ruby pour with a dense, tiny-bubbled tanned head nudging toward light brown, increasingly rocky. Taste is big and malty with slight alcohol warmth and burn under the grapey breadiness, toast and nuts provide a solid backbone. Red berry dangled and withdrawn, dangled and withdrawn. Touch of pine in the hops, pairs nicely with earthy roast. Bitterness more pronounced here than most other examples of the style. Molasses and salt. Touch of burn-ash above the masterfully employed Munich. Full body, feel a bit slick. Warm, dry aftertaste brings out wonderful spicy notes and a touch of coffee and a touch of syrupy chocolate. A bit too hot and peppery, but otherwise, exquisite! Robust and extremely complex, holds its own against the big boys!

bottle. dark brown caramel body with a small off-white head. the aroma is pleasant with notes of butterscotch, caramel, sugar, plenty of yeast, and a touch of alcohol. the flavour consist of chocolate and is somewhat sugary at times...also some toasted grain. very flavourful and interesting. the alcohol made an appearance briefly too. nice stuff.

After the nj fest. Really nice beer. Big malt character. Big malt aroma.Very roasty. Flavor is malty with lots of chocolate undertones. Caramel notes. Clean tasting. Enjoyable.

Unfiltered chestnut. Thick, puttied, light mocha head. Alluring nose of roasted wood, meaty malts, plum pudding, and crystallized sugar. Quite firm with whispers of nougat, smoke, licorice, and port wine. Dense, creamy carbonation. Soft, spongelike body. Frontal assault of medium-roasted malts coupled with more fat and fluffy, toffeed malt notes. Toasted malt hulls gather steam to enrich the sweetness amid rich smoked malt trailing. Mineral notes and vague plum acidity combine for a leathery effect at the back of the throat while roasted wood flavors continue to poke through. Mild mineral, roasted barley twang, spicy anise, and woodsy notes diffuse the sweetness at the finish while the understatedly juicy hops remain in the background. Lingers with mineral, toasted marshmallow, and unsweetened chocolate tones. Delectable flavors, overall. How about less acidity and a better-defined noble hop finish to accompany the deliciously assertive roast/smoke medley? If so, this would be flawless

Poured dark enough to be opaque, managed a smallish foamy head. I think this is one of the best American doppelbocks I’ve had but in some ways they’ve missed the mark, but only a little. Its very sweet, of course, but almost too sweet. The malt construction is nice, very earthy in the nose, with kisses of chocolate and caramel that become more apparent in the flavor. I could see some more hop bitterness in the finish giving this just the right spicy finish that would balance this out and make it utterly drinkable. As it is, its sweet enough to be more of a slow beer. Nothing wrong with that.

sweet malty brown sugar aroma. dark amber colored with tan head. flavor is lightly smoked(peaty) and sweet with plenty of malts. excellent balance. very enjoyable. chewy, sticky mouthfeel.