American Craft Beer Week - Thomas Hooker beers from Connecticut

Today marks the first day of American Craft Beer Week, so in celebration, Total Wine in River Edge had the first of a series of tasting today, with Thomas Hooker beers, which are brewed in Connecticut.

Since this was a rather quick tasting for me, I won't go into great depth, but overall I was impressed.

I started with the Blonde Ale. As the rep from the brewery stated, this is a "craft beer on training wheels". If you are new to craft beers, or you're looking for a lighter beer that will work with a crowd but still give you more flavor than the mass-market beers, this is a good choice; but if you are an experienced craft beer drinker, you probably won't be impressed.

Next up was the Hop Meadow IPA. With a whopping 72 IBUs, this beer is a little bitter for my tastes, especially since the hopping is predominated by Cascade hops, with a bit of Centennial thrown in (at least, I think that's what it was). Very classic Pacific NW style of American IPA; that's just a style that I burned out on long ago. But if you're a hophead who likes a very hoppy beer, this is one you should check out, as it is quite well made, and a very good example of the style.

I then tried the Watermelon Ale. Rather sweet, and not being a watermelon lover, I didn't find it overly enjoyable. A little too far out there for even me.

Then we started hitting the good stuff. Beer #4 was the Liberator Doppelbock. This is one of the better American Doppelbocks that I've had, tasting a little more like the original German style (such as Spaten Optimator or Paulaner Salvator) than most of the American versions; but still showing some American uniqueness. Lots of malt, and a very balanced level of malt to keep it from being too sweet. This is a beer that I'll probably buy in the future.

Finally, the Imperial Porter. Checking in at just under 8% abv, this is no lightweight beer. And while it has 100+ IBUs, the rich malt tames them to the point of the beer tasting dry without being bitter. A very rich, filing, and quite dry porter (richer IMO than many beers that call themselves "Stout"), this is a must try for anyone liking the big dark roasted beers.


Next up for American Craft Beer Week will be Laughing Dog brewery from Idaho on 5/17, followed by Cricket Hill on the 18th and River Horse on the 19th (both from NJ). These tastings will be from 3-7 at the River Edge, NJ Total Wine and More. Then to finish off the week, Samual Adams on Sunday 5/22 from 12-3. Come out and try them so that we can compare notes.