Thomas Hooker Old Marley Barleywine

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

Swing-top blue bottle from A-1 To-Go in Gardiner. Pours murky dark brown almost black opaque body with no head. Caramel and chocolate malts dominate a rather feint aroma. Tastes of caramel, toffee, and chocolate more than anything else, with a hint of alcohol toward the finish and no hops present that I can tell (unusual for an American Barleywine). Still very flavorful and complex though. Very full mouth-feel that borders on viscous with virtually no carbonation to speak of (seems flat). While the body and lack of carbonation hurt the drinkability, the pleasant flavors help immensely, making you crave another sip. That said, it’s definitely a sipper. A solid barleywine and among my favorites for the style.

500ml bottle. 2005 Vintage. Poured a deeper brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of toffee, woody / oakiness, dark fruits, and chocolate. Tastes of wood, light bourbon, chocolate, light vanilla, dark fruits, caramel, and toffee. Thinner yet smooth body. Alcohol well hidden. This one grew on me more and more as I drank it.

Thanks to richlikebeer for sharing. Malts and caramel on the nose. Minimal head. Cloudy brown color-like apple cider. Taste was very complex-malts, caramel, a bit of bourbon and some alcohol. Great beer!

On tap. Huge Alcohol Laced Sweetness in every sip start to finish. Malty with a big caramel nose and taste, Body is slightly chewy, and the color is dark, with reddish tinges when held to light. Overall, a good Barleywine, but in need of a bit more hops signature for balance IMHO. But I still enjoy this beer very much.

July 2006 - 2004 Version. The label says "amazingly complex" and it did not disappoint. Cider brown pour, no head, a little lace. Aroma even from rinsate (from previous beer) was amazingly strong. Aroma of caramel, maple and molasses...smoke as warmed. The flavor was more of the same. Sweet, but not sticky. Smooth. Nothing overpowering, but not the oompf I was hoping for either. I bump up the overall scoring 1 point for the cool blue bottle! ;)

Thanks to jjpm74 for sending me this in our last trade. A nice barleywine from the first sip to the last sip. Caramel malts, dark fruits, brown sugar and a touch of chocolate. Taste had some cheesyness to it, but oddly it worked somehow. Caramel, dark fruits, alcohol and some cheese. Hmmmm. Sounds bad but it really wasn’t.

500 ml. swing top blue bottle, bottled in 2006, sampled in snifter. L: Cloudy deep reddish brown with a tan head of compact creamy foam. Good head retention and a fair amount of lace sticking. S: Taste inducing nose of chocolate caramel, molasses, prunes, purple plums and figs. Further whiffs reveal vanilla and traces of smoky whiskey soaked wood. F&T: Syrupy smooth malty body that is oily slick on the tongue and dry in the finish. A nice blend of flavors, prune juice, plums, caramelized sugar, cocoa and caramel, toasted vanilla and licorice. The hops have a acrid green wood oiliness, ending with a mildly bitter herbal spiciness. The alcohol provides a light, low spicy warmth in the palate, it true strength is well disguised. Lingering in aftertaste is a subtle nutty barrel woodiness. This was a pleasant easy sipper, I found it to be very enjoyable on a cold winter night.

Bottle: Pours a dark, murky, brownish ruby with evidence of mild carbonation (hardly any head) Nice aromatic, traditional American style Barley Wine aroma. Nice malt presence, almost chocolatey, but leans toward a rich vanilla/caramel nose and some mild oak notes as well. The body is a bit thin, with hardly any carbonation, but it’s not watery. The flavor is nice with a solid malt character. Rich and mildly sweet with lots of vanilla character and toasted wood and sweet bourbon. There’s also some late, residual earthiness of smokey tobacco. It’s nicely balanced by a late, American hop dryness, with subtle oak suggestions as well. A well crafted and balanced Barley Wine.