Thomas Hooker Oak Aged Imperial Porter

Brewed by Thomas Hooker Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Bloomfield, Connecticut USA

Pours dark brown with a thin white head. Smells of chocolate, some oak, some boozy hints, a hint of tartness. Tastes of roasted malt, some booziness from the oak. Decent.

Bottle. Chocolate-brown coloring. Ample head with slow dissipation, mainly owing to my inept pour. Bready, malty, doughy. Medium body with chocolate-watery finish. Toffee is present but fleeting. Rather flat overall impression. Not exciting.

Sampled from a growler @ DLD 4/28/07 shared by AlexDeLarge. Pours a cloudy dark brown color with a smallish tan head. The aroma was bourbon infused roasted malts, chocolate and hops. The flavor had dark cacao, roasted malt and grassy hops. The bourbon is present but not distracting. Medium-full bodied, very smooth and easy to drink. I would like another shot at this one.

Date: 4/28/2007
Event: DarkLord Day 2007
Location: Three Floyds Brewing Co. Parking Lot
Serving: Growler shared by AlexDeLarge. Thanks!

Tasting Notes
Aroma: Interesting blend of bourbon and hops (I wonder if this was dry-hopped in the barrel...).
Appearance: Murky dark brown color.
Flavor: Roasted malt, dark chocolate and grassy hops. Subtle bourbon, vanilla, oak/wood as well. Ashy/aspirin dryness in the finish.
Palate: Medium to medium-full body. Smooth on the palate.
Overall: Pretty good, but it would probably be better on a day that isn’t quite so hot and sunny!

On tap at Capones. Dark brown with a thin tan head. Dark chocolate, a little grassy. Too cold to get much aroma. Taste of bitter cocoa with molasses, cola and some limey pith. Light carb with a medium body. Edges softened with oak. Some aspirin in the end. Solid but unexceptional.

Draft at Capone’s. Onyx pour with 1-finger khaki head. Aroma of dark roasty malt, dark fruit, slight chocoff, slight oakiness, and some hops. Tastes roasty malty, with solid dark chocolate and dark fruit notes and a big hoppy finish. Subdued oak here, and a fairly complex palate. Very good, but not elite.

Draft @ Capones. Dark Brown color with small head. Oaky bourbon aroma mixed with some chocolate in the nose. Taste was of a pretty good porter mixed with some bourbon flavors, vanilla, and some chocolate. Tasty, but not quite amazing. I know Matt (from Capone’s) is awesome, but how the hell is he the only one to feature this beer so far?

Translucent, medium dark brown body with a fading off-white head. Aroma of caramel, raisins, chocolate, and tobacco. Flavor is markedly drier than the regular imperial porter, with apparent boozy bourbon characters. Roastiness is also enhanced with a fruity element as well. Impression of charred wood, chocolate, and bourbon builds. Solid, but nothing spectacular.