Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock

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

500 ml bottle. Pours a very deep brown that allows only a trace amount of light to pass through. Moderate to large foamy tan head that lasted through most of the glass. Light, pleasant aroma of caramel and a very slight earthy quality as well. More caramel in the flavor than in the aroma, along with a bit of toasted malt. Very slight coffee flavor slides in at the finish along with a touch of hops bitterness. Quite enjoyable.

(500 ml (2006) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/massachusetts/w target=blank>Julio’s Liquors) Very chocolatey...Pours a very dark brown with garnet highlights. One finger of light tan head recedes a bit to form a thin cap that stays. Aroma is pretty much bitter chocolate, maybe some coffee (not the notes like raisins, brown sugar, molasses etc. I’d expect form a doppel). Mouthfeel quite rich and smooth, a touch fizzy in the finish. Some thin lacing but kind of sloppy. Flavor is deeply chocolatey and quite bitter. Maybe a bit of caramel as it gets warm. Lingering bitter chocolate aftertaste. I don’t know, this is a nice beer but kind of a letdown to a doppel fan. It is so porter-like that I will be anxious to eventually try their Imperial Porter to see how much difference there is.

Sampled last night at a meeting of the Champaign-Urbana Beer Club. I thought at first bacteria had gotten into the bottle because the beer gave off this sweet-sour funkiness almost in the Belgian style. Scrolling down through the ratings, I believe this was intended. The flavor wasn’t bad in any sense, merely highly peculiar. But Doppelbocks can be funky as several others noted, so I think this one is alright. I’ll rerate later if necessary. Concerning the beer, an impressive mix of flavors ranging from sweet cherry and apricot to fudge and dark bread. Finishes with a decidedly yeasty wheatness. Tasty, not my first choice of flavors, but complex indeed.

all the typical dopplebock components....dark ruby pour, caramel in the nose as well as the flavor...but this one had a little bit of roastiness im not used to in dopplebocks ive had. almost felt like a porter. enjoyed it a lot.

500mL bottle. Pours a very dark, cherry-brown color; fluffy, light-tan head with great retention and lacing. Plenty of yeast and biscuit notes in the aroma, but not much else; maybe a hint of misplaced tart citrus. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: light carbonation; pleasantly viscous and chewy; dark malts, nougat, roasted malts, caramel, and dough; very filling, layered complexity; hints of citrus and yeast near the end. Long, chewy nougat and bready finish.

Nice clean dark brown/red pour with a fluffy off white head and lace. An aroma of roasted malt and light brown sugar. A flavor that is dominated maltiness, caramel and abv. A decent finishing bitter that is very nice. Palate is almost foamy but not. Overall a very solid beer that I truly enjoy

Draft. Pures black with tan head. The aroma was of coffee,smoke and roasted malts. The body was firm and rich. The taste was sweet with the aftertaste becoming bitter like darkly roasted coffee. This was a very good brew but I found myself struggling to the finish line.

Cool 500ml swingtop bottle, with a big thanks to jjpm74/cletus. Pours a clear dark brown with ruby highlights and a thin tan head; moderate retention and lacing. Aroma is nuts, caramel, grains/bread, and some molasses. Flavor is smooth, with more nut, bread, molasses, light coffee, and some spice - liquid bread indeed! Tasty stuff, thanks again John!