Thomas Hooker Old Marley Barleywine

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

2004’s edition. This quickly became one of my favorite barleywines. Pours a very dark crimson red, with small whisps of head on a fast pour. Looks magnificent in my brandy snifter. Aroma is strong hops, almost tingles the nose, with alcohol and a malty caramel and almost chocolate notes. I was salivating on the first sniff. Flavor was full and complex. Caramel and plums highlight the sweetness, which are then followed by some great hop bitterness and flavor, as well as some hints of alcohol. A great smooth mouthfeel, with almost no carbonation, and a light warming sensation. Man this is good stuff, highly recommended.

It pours a deep brown color with beautiful ruby hues. There is a slight coating of head over top, but just enough to stay around. The nose is awesome. I am not going to do it justice, as it is got a lot going on. There is raisiney sweetness, a whiff of alcohol, almost a peppery spicey quality, and a slight bitter pineyness from hops. Wow. Just wow. The flavor is just balanced as well as anything. The first flavor is a roasty raisiney malty, moving towards a slight spiceyness from the alcohol, ending with a residual spicey and piney hop that just sits lightly on the tongue. Wow. this is good. The feel is thick, slighly syrupy slick with a light to moderate carbonation. Overall, I think I am in love. The nose, flavor and drinkability are through the roof. The alcohol is present, but adds to the experience. Such a damn good beer.

One of the thickest pours known to barleywines, seeping into the sifter as a translucent crimson brown. Some hazy galaxy wisps for the head. Aroma is sweet and seductive: maple, brown sugar, oak, caramel, amaretto and a subtle hop bouquet. Smooth oak properties thickly sedate the tongue, basking in a blanket of bourbon and vanilla eloquence. Accents of maple vats, singed cedar and a bite out of the barrel itself round out the flavor pool. Thickest and heaviest palate feel I’ve known for a barleywine. Smooth and symbiotic as all can be. Finishes with a comforting warmness and flavorful oak resonance. Another tally mark in the win column for beers scored by tpkenned!

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

Wow. Pours a dark brown with little to no head. Some lacing on the glass. Smells of toast with some definate piney hops. The taste is amazing. It fills the palate with a deluge of flavors. First is a roasted malt; almost a hint of a stout. Then the first wave of woody hops. A second round of mild maltyness with some citrus tones is followed by a lingering finish that is sweetly bitter. Great barleywine.

This is a great barley wine. Nice carmely, vanilla oak on the palate. Nice sweetness and suttle hop balance. Deep rich color. Just an absolute delight to sip, and I do suggest sipping it, and room temp. It does the beer that much more drinking it as such. Brings out that sweetness and accents the creamy rich body. I definately recommend picking one of these up if your in the connecticut area anytime soon!

This beer pours a dark brown that leaves a thin tan lace that foams on the glass like frothy whipped cream. As I smell this beer the rum soaked fruit smells just come out. I smell plum, grape, figs, raisins man this beer is fantastic smelling. As I put this beer on my palate the rum like alcohal quality just bursts onto the tongue and makes my palate dance with happiness. I can just smell the alcohal in a good way like a nice port and the vanilla taste just rounds it out. I think this beer could use a year of cellaring to tone down some of the alcohal but you can def drink now. Man this is one of the best Barley wine styles I’ve ever had and will def go back to so I can cellar for awhile.

Marley was dead, to begin with, dead as a doornail ...or so I thought,(but what’s so dead about a doornail?)and, yet, he’s here in this bottle, waiting for me to drink him...funny, huh? Dark crimson color, nice, if thin, layer of beigish foam on top. Nose bespeaks of everything I want out of a barleywine, dark fruits, cherries, berries, currants, plums, , with a wicked, alcoholic twist, mingled with maple, spices, anise, more...beautiful....marvelously complex....oh, very nice. Drink now, if I dare...Big, fierce, buzzing blast on the palate, big hoppiness, huge fruitiness, rich maltiness, no, "rich" doesn’t qualify, it’s a tonnage going on here. Tasty, tasty, tasty! This does wonderful things in the month, sets it ablaze and soothes again with delicious flavors. Has great potential to enter my pantheon of favorite barleywine..aw, it’s a shoo-in, f’gettaboutit! Plentiful flavor, not too punishing in alcoholic strength, very warm, with a full body, and a long, fruity, toasty finish, this is a winner. Classic barleywine, all the way!