Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock

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

Bottle sampled with Beerded_one. Pours almost black with a with a small light tan head. Aroma of fruit, roast, and chocolate. The flavor is dark fruit, cocolate, sweet, roast, and a fair amount of hops. Great brew.

500mL swing top bottle with no date, thanks to BrianK for this. Very deep clear brown with ruby brown edges and a small beige head that faded to a ring and sparse film. Loads of caramel and chewy toffee notes atop toasted nuts and malts and raisins. Nosing it a little more, brown sugar and vanilla are also present. Flavor is much more roasty and dry than the aroma led on, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If it had been, it possibly would’ve been a little cloying for 500mL. It’s kind of hard to pick up on the caramel and toffee since the roast overpowers a lot of what’s in here. Only hints of raisins and vanilla in the flavor. I do have to admit it sweetens a little upon warming, though the beer was probably in the lower 50’s when I started drinking it. Roasty semi-dry finish with bitterness peaking around a 2. Alcohol is masked well. Silky full body with little pin pricks of carbonation. As this warms up, some lightly smoky notes show up in the aroma and the flavor. I ended up liking this more as I got through the bottle. I maybe could have gone for a bit more sweetness in the flavor, but not much.

Pours a dark brown with a small light tan head. Big, thick caramel aroma, dakr sweet malts, and mild dark fruits. Some oatmeal raisin cookie really comes to mind, maybe a little molasses. Great aroma. The flavor was much the same, although the dark fruit really showed its face in the flavor. The caramel, and oatmeal were there too, but more in the finish and background. The aftertaste was rich, and fruity. Really nicely balanced brew. Awesome.

Dark Ruby. Subtle, earthy noble hop variety with notes of currants, plums, slight smoke and chocolate in the nose. Aroma was severely lacking. Deep Dark fruitiness (plums, grapes), chalk, smoke and chocolate in the flavor. Well hidden alcohol but lacking in both aroma and taste. Not very complex. Overrated.

Julios Spring Beer Festival. Pour of slightly murkied medium nut brown, with ruddy fringes. Light fragrant gentle aroma of red plums and sweet melons. Rich and warmingly alcoholic taste of sweet brown sugar and a touch of almond paste. The malty crispness bellows through the light floral fruits and shows a rearing head of nipping alcohols. One lick from a good chocolate bar. A touch of euro hops round out for good balance. Well done.

Very dark mahogny/brown with a tannish creamy head and spots of lace. Mellow aromas of caramel and roast. Raisins and spice as well, though I’m unsure of what spice I’m smelling. Wet malts with a nutty or woody touch. Some hints of chocolate, maybe. The earthy qualities come out in the flavors. Bitter hops with a strong malt backing. Bready almost. Alcohol is apparent. Bitter tail that’s tingly on the tongue. Malty, dry finish. Thanks Casey!

The head is a marvel, full at first and slowly lasting as a thin ring. Move the glass and the head sticks in the tiniest bubbles to the sides of the glass lazily. Smell is incredible burnt wood - woodier in the aroma than any dopple I’ve had. A strong smoky, meaty aroma with an undercurrent of raisin is so strong yet subtle. I love the mouthfeel here; a bit thin and very tingly - probably a bit out of style range. Hoppy, with a plasticine, bandagey, piney presence - some nutmeg and a lot of pepper. Very noble hops underlying the whole thing. None of the back of the throat cloying so typical of dopples. When warmer, this sweetens to plum, walnut, and becomes slightly oily, with still tons of roastiness. A bigger, more American dopple - bolder in many ways than Celebrator. A big thanks to TAR for the nip from a swingtop.

2006 bottle from jjpm74. Pours a deep dark brown with coarse tan head. Aroma of lager yeast, berries, and bready malts. Medium bodied with a slight creamy texture. Flavor flavor vienna malts, caramel, and vanilla. Finish is offputting, with an annoying sour tang joined by husky grains, leather, and yeast. I wonder if this was past it’s prime, because this was off.