Thomas Hooker Octoberfest

Brewed by Thomas Hooker Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Bloomfield, Connecticut USA

poured a brownish red hue with a fast fading white head. Bready aroma with some caramel notes. Seemed to be well balanced between somewhat bitter hops and malts(caramel, nuts, bread) Really smooth and full.

Cask at the Hop Devil Grill. Color is dark amber, cannot see through it but is rather translucent. Aroma is very present - first seems like its a spiced up lager. Pumpkinny in a way with other winter spices. Taste is muddled but in the realm of most octoberfest. Feels heavier than most though. Oily mouthfeel as well. Weird aftertaste, a bit off putting. I seem to be at a loss to really describe this beer. In the end it wasnt too enjoyable and I only drank half of it. Maybe octoberfests werent meant for casks?

Pours a clear orangish-brown with a rocky, lacy, tan head. Head is dense and about 1/4 inch thick. Smells (strangely) of hops with some maltiness underneath. Usually, I would expect an Oktoberfest to smell the other way around. Taste is of rich caramel malt with an underpinning of herbal hops. Lightly smoky. Mouth is lightly sticky with a persistent hoppy aftertaste. Good stuff. One of the better Oktoberfests I’ve had.

Poured a deep clear copper color with a respectable head, but weak lacing. The aroma was crisp: caramel malts and a fresh outdoorsy (don’t ask me what that is) hops. The flavor was like a weak brown ale (some nuts, light roastedness), spiced with oktober spices (slight bubblegum). A little dry relative to others in its style, but really drinkable. Mouthfeel was somewhat dry and significantly carbonated. Really, a quite nice beer, balanced (bitter hops assertive, yet not overdone for a style that doesn’t normally feature hops), and enjoyable. A nice treat from the bro-in-law from CT.

pours a transparent reddish clay with a large head that fades within a few minutes. Aroma is mildly roasty, nutty, slightly caramely maltiness with a mild herbal hoppiness that hits the sinuses. Flavor is a full toasty then roast, the caramely malts, then a little apple and pear and a bit of raisin, then all the flavors come together balanced perfectly in the back with a nice mild but present bitterness. It feels like it is going to be cloying at first then the balance comes and the finish and makes you craze another sip. Medium to full body with a smooth that hints at wanting to be syrupy though it is not.

Thanks to jjpm74 for this one. The pour was copper and turbid, with 2-finger head. Aroma of corn flakes, heavy fruity hops, cabernet, cherries, blackberries. The taste was very caramel malty with some cabernet, almonds, figs, and a medium palate. Well done.

29-Apr-06 (12 oz bottle: Obtained 29-Apr-06 in trade with jjpm74, thanks John!) Unpacked from the box, then straight to the fridge and two hours later, now in my pint glass bound for my stomach. Unfortunately, it’s pretty much the same experience for me as the last time: it tastes and smells caramely, toasty, moderately sweet, and lightly hoppy, but one again, the beer finishes with a noticeable butter character. With the sweet caramel, it’s perhaps more a toffee flavor than flat-out movie popcorn butter, but I still don’t like it. Moderate perfume and floral notes in the flavor and nose also don’t work for me. Medium-bodied with pretty standard carbonation. Dark copper/amber color, moderately hazy, capped by an inch of light-tan head that maintains a thin, near-filmy layer. Yeah, tried it twice and it’s just not a beer I find enjoyable.

23-Dec-05 (12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with goldtwins, thanks Larry!) Deep ruddy amber in color and slightly hazy, the beer is capped by an inch of tightly-knit ivory bubbles that slowly settle to a thin but complete layer. The nose is toasty and slightly hoppy, but also smells a little buttery. Caramely and toasty malts dominate the flavor, with a fair amount of hoppy bitterness, but the finish is unmistakably that of buttered toast. Might go well with eggs and bacon, but less so when it’s in my beer. Medium bodied and nicely carbonated. Despite the obvious flaw, it’s all right, but until I can get a new sample, I should call this Thomas Hooker Butterfest. Postscript: I rated this after my surgery, and it’s possible my palate was still suffering effects from anesthesia. Will seek out a new bottle and rerate at some point. (6, 3, 5, 3, 10 = 2.7)

"Thanks to eagle for this one. Poured a nice copper color head was okay. Aroma was caramel malts and slight hops. Flave was nutty and spices. Mouthfeel was a little thin but still a good beer."