Thomas Hooker Irish Red Ale - Thomas Hooker Brewing Company

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pint served at the South Norwalk Brewhouse.
A: Creamy, smooth, compact whitish head that lasts throughout the entire drinking experience. The body of the beer is a relatively clear, clean-looking, deep, woody crimson that's quite striking to behold. Minimal lacing left on the glass after each sip.
S: The beer's scent profile relies mostly on malted barley without much in the way of depth or contrast; there was a bit of hop presence, but nothing remarkable. Relatively lackluster olfactory qualities, was expecting a bit more here.
T: Rich malt is a major actor in the play of tastes, sharing the spotlight with a mild, grassy hop flavor that has a tinge of vegetable/water chestnut tanginess. The two are well-balanced and the drinker enjoys something akin to lightly herbed bread. The lingering hop presence produces a mildly bitter aftertaste.
M: Medium bodied with little carbonation, which leads to a beer that one enjoys slowly, savoring the smooth, mouth-coating presence that is produced. Mildly dry finish with some lingering "wetness" - well-balanced in this characteristic as well.
D: Mild seems to be the keyword that comes to mind the most when thinking about this beer. Perhaps it's because I've been drinking intensely hoppy or malty brews this winter and this was a sudden departure from those styles. Solidly built and fairly enjoyable, but lacking any truly distinctive qualities to relish. Thomas Hooker's Irish Red is quite drinkable as such, but nothing outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2006 21:14:18 | More by falloutsnow

jagada

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3%

06-16-2013 04:50:03 | More by jagada

azathot

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -17.6%

06-16-2013 02:58:47 | More by azathot

Pando

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

06-15-2013 03:04:45 | More by Pando

Cleaver35

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

06-12-2013 00:19:06 | More by Cleaver35

Chugs13

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

06-03-2013 00:28:12 | More by Chugs13

RoryOMoore

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

05-29-2013 00:33:20 | More by RoryOMoore

George1005

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +3%

05-28-2013 23:17:23 | More by George1005

InspectorBob

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-23-2013 15:22:17 | More by InspectorBob

Juice-O

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

05-02-2013 00:52:30 | More by Juice-O

Hanzo

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +3%

04-04-2013 01:01:39 | More by Hanzo

nebula1999

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +3%

04-01-2013 00:06:50 | More by nebula1999

SuomiHobbit

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -17.6%

03-26-2013 01:12:06 | More by SuomiHobbit

WDJersey

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +3%

03-23-2013 05:09:38 | More by WDJersey

dpianka

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

date of tasting: 3/21/2013
place of tasting: Barley Vine
beer: Irish Red Ale
brewery: Thomas Hooker
type: Ale
style: Red Ale
glass: mug
temperature of beer: 45F

Appearance: head was average and persistent. Color is like a sienna toned copper. little carbonation that dissipated quickly.

Smell: rich roasted malt, light caramel, mix of prune & nectarine and generally reminiscent of stone fruit.

Taste: somewhat lackluster and one dimensional. strong roasted light caramel malt with slight stone fruit undertones and a slight hop tinge. The hops fight with the malt towards the end just eeking out the sweetness to leave a slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: creamy, not at all flat or thin. Medium bodied.

Overall Impression: not a bad representation of the style. it is an easy drinking beer and would be a good introduction to craft brew.

Food Pairing: american cheese burger with ketchup mustard and romain, pulled pork (apple cider vinegar and brown sugar not bbq sauce), shepards pie, charred steak, chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2013 02:52:29 | More by dpianka

jjchristiano

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a perfect St. Patrick's Day beverage.
I had a cooler full of various Irish beers for a party. I am not a big Guiness guy.
I kept going back to the Hooker's as it was so easy sipping. And after a big plate of corned beef and cabbage it was still sippable.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 02:38:14 | More by jjchristiano

DFV

Connecticut

1/5  rDev -72.5%

03-13-2013 01:36:49 | More by DFV

mckowned

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

03-08-2013 01:55:52 | More by mckowned

tmars13

3/5  rDev -17.6%

03-03-2013 18:02:58 | More by tmars13

Snarf103

4/5  rDev +9.9%

02-12-2013 05:13:04 | More by Snarf103

fstorey

Connecticut

2.91/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Served from a bottle in a pint glass

A - medium brown with copper hues. A little cloudy. Head is thin, uneven and dissipates fairly quickly.

S - Sweet with slight hops finish

T - Astringent initially, followed by a little maltiness then bitterness. Dry finish.

M- light body. Carbonation is noticeable on the tongue.

O - Quite dry with more hops character than I expected. I probably would not buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 22:33:06 | More by fstorey

lowerdeck

Connecticut

4/5  rDev +9.9%

02-10-2013 19:07:40 | More by lowerdeck

MarkSansone

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-08-2013 00:14:56 | More by MarkSansone

neil2me

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

01-03-2013 03:13:14 | More by neil2me

shigg85

Japan

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

12-02-2012 18:09:28 | More by shigg85