Irish Red Ale
Thomas Hooker Brewing Company in Bloomfield, Connecticut, United States 🇺🇸
Amber / Red Ale - Irish Regular|
Score
6.41
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A rich, malty brew that uses red wheat and a variety of crystal malts, giving this beer its ruby red hue. Traditional English hops give this easy drinking brew a flavor that’s perfect year round.
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5
A reddish auburn ale with a thick creamy lacing off white head. A lightly caramelly malt aroma, with light sulfur notes. In mouth, a classy red ale with malt, roasted nuts, and light hopping. No cloying butterscotch here. Bought in Willimantic, CT, Elm Package Store, Inbiernationale IV, May 2007.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Buying this, I expected something similar, but better than Smithwicks, but instead found a rather different and unique brew. Has a light beige head of ok size. The beer itself looks almost dark enough to be a brown ale. And a nice fruity smell from this beer does emenate. The taste is what sets it apart though. It tastes almost like a stout or porter with its roasty qualities... coffeeish taste somewhere around the middle and finishing off with some bitter. This is probably the lightest beer I have ever had that has this kind of taste and surely it is interesting.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Irish Red? This looks more like a nut brown, deep copper brown color no head. Sweet malty aroma. Nice flavor, malty and sweet at the start with touches of caramel and brown sugar. Finish is sweet and smooth. Finally, a Hooker beer I enjoy.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
Cask at Spuyten Duyvil - shocking clarity for a cask ale - rather sweet, doughy aroma, with not much else going on - big caramel malt presence, and a slight roasty quality - quite drinkable, but really not much going on.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
On tap at the Gate in Brooklyn. Poured into an English pint glass. Color is a deep dark ruby with translucent edges. Cannot see through the beer. Rather beautiful in the dark bar. Aroma is weak - hoppy and malty mix. Flavor is mainly a bittery, burnt hop flavor with a coffee-like aspect (dont know how they did but its definitly there). Surprising flavor from a beer of this sort, really adds a lot of depth. Body is medium-light.6/4/8/3/14
Rerate 12 oz bottle. Well all the depth in the flavor is lost. Just seems like an empty shell of what I tasted on tap. I know these bottles are contract brewed and the draft i had may have not been. But what I loved about this beer is now completely missing. 6/3/6/3/13
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Draught pint, 12/20/2005, at Sunset Grille. Deeper than expected, lightly transluscent ruby-auburn with chestnut-rufous (to steal a word) highlights on the edges. Foamy cream colored head atop is well retained and laces ever so slightly. Aroma has a deep and ponderous roast. Toasted grains of caramel and even a slight hint of vanilla flavored coffee. Husky vienna-like malts and a sweet, almost honeyish-like note arising on the end, to sooth the nostrils. Certainly some light hops, herbal and fresh that rise gently, but persistently from the liquid. The flavor is immediately toasty, with plenty of caramel and a distinct nuttiness, adding a playful chewy texture, while hops brighten the picture with a crisp and leafy balance. All the while, a honey-vanilla malt sweetness lingers in the background and adds potent, supportive body and a lightly creamy texture. Carbonation is low, and deep earthy barley, hints of light coffee and more herbs pepper the palate. I keep speaking of coffee, but it’s not as one would expect, certainly no dark roasty coffeeness from a stout, but it’s there, well-integrated with the earthiness, almost like a peaty-whiskey note you get in some scotch ales. No skimping on the malt or hops and a wonderfully round and succulent mouthfeel. This beer has to be experienced on draught, as do the pale and blonde, as the contract brewed bottles, while well-made don’t do Paul’s talents justice.