Thomas Hooker Old Marley Barleywine

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

Pours very dark, thick, cloudy brown with virtually no head. When shaken in a brandy glass, a small, tan head forms - consisting mostly of very large bubbles. The aroma has chocolate, some dried fruit, a decent bit of hops, a decent bit of alcohol, and hints of oak. The flavor starts bittersweet with a good bit of fruity hop bitterness, some fruit, and some malts. The middle of the flavor presents some smoke, some vanilla, some chocolate, and signs of carbonation prickling the tongue. The finish is long and quite dry - with flavors of bitter cocoa and hops. The mouthfeel is thick and almost flat.

This is avery nice barley wine. Warming, balanced bitterness and maltiness. Cool blue bottle, nice label...this beer has it all.

2006. Snifter. Light, hazy head. Dark brown color. Aroma is brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and mild smoke. Taste is malt, alcohol, smoke, raisins, overripe dark fruits, and vanilla,with piney hops in the background. On the sweet side and the hops and alcohol aren’t enough to balance this out. Enjoyable, but too sweet for my tastes. This was from y secret Santa.

Flip top bottle marked bottled in 2006. Served in a snifter. Poured no head, no lacing, no visible carbonation, opaque, and an brown hue. Nose was malty, sweet, vanilla, hoppy, caramel, and alcohol. Flavor was bitter, hoppy, vinuous, somewhat harsh, vanilla, and caramel. Tingly mouthfeel. Medium body.

cracked this 06 bottle on 10-1(just after midnight on saturday night at work with one of my bosses) an almost flat muddy brown pour. the aroma is blank, some alcohol is noticeable later on, but overall nothing. light apricot & chocolate flavors with alcohol notes. sweet finish, some strawberry & a bit of caramel. like an overly sweet brown ale. subpar is an understatement here.

Sampled at the Odds and Ends Tasting at Dogbrick’s. Dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt. Flavor of toffee, caramel and alcohol.

Bottle of course is beautiful, carmel,vanilla, maple and a some alcohol coming off in aroma, absolutely no head,nor much carboation, taste had vanilla and some fruit,but was totally dominated by the sherry like alcohol,would not call this flavor complex,nice enough to sip but to one dimensional to rate higher

Sampled at the Odds and Ends Tasting on 8/16/06: Pours a dark chestnut color with a thin beige head and spotty lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel and brown sugar, as well as some citrus and pine. Rich body with a resiny mouthfeel. Flavors of vanilla, oak and caramel. Slight alcohol burn on the back of the tongue. The finish is well-rounded with bittersweet chocolate and roasted malt. Very enjoyable.