Thomas Hooker Brewing Co.
Bloomfield, CT
Available: CT, MA, RI, NY, ME, FL, PA, GA
Originally brewed to celebrate the beginning of the German brewing season and the 1810 wedding of crown prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxon-Hildburghausen. This amber beer was originally brewed in March (“Märzenbier”) and left to age in cool lagering caves during the heat of the summer.
ABV: 5.8
ABW: 4.62
Color: 14
Bitterness: 16
Original gravity: 1057
This beer is a misnomer. It should be called “Hoptoberfest,” thanks to the rather heavy hand with the little green beauties—in a good way. That being said, Hooker’s Octoberfest is otherwise all märzen. Pouring an autumnal orange with a quickly receding ecru foam, the beer’s German roots are apparent at first sniff, with a strong showing of malty sweetness that belies the hops lingering within. A sturdy effervescence lifts the sweet toasted malt and gives the hops a chance to make an appearance. And that they do, balancing the beer and providing a big, crisp kiss of herbal spiciness that leaves you wanting another sip. A hophead’s Octoberfest!
The tawny copper color oozes autumn and is exactly what I expect in a festbier. The nose is absolutely appropriate and inviting, with a soft Vienna and Munich malt and toasted marshmallow bouquet, with hints of vanilla and brandy. The bitterness is somewhat robust for the style, with a noble hop background and a suggestion of rosemary. A top-notch festbier should straddle the line between refreshing and fully satisfying, and Hooker’s does it deftly with a medium-light mouthfeel, tight, crisp finish and firm caramel malt sweetness. Bring on the roasted rosemary chicken.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
K. Florian Klemp is an award-winning homebrewer and general hobbyist who thinks there is no more sublime marriage than that of art and science.
