Hooker Imperial Porter - Thomas Hooker Brewing Company

The brew of the day is Thomas Hooker Brewing Company's take on an Imperial Porter. This is another brewery that I have heard mentioned, but had never previously tried any of their products. The website clearly displays their claim as "Connecticut's Beer" which on it's face seems quite bold. But for all I know they are the only brewery operating up there (though I doubt it). I've heard good words spoken in their favor, so I'll just let the beer speak for itself.

Appearance: Dark as hell. I'm pretty sure this beer actually poured into a black hole in my glass. My 8 LED flashlight with new batteries hardly cut through the black. As compared to the previous two beers this one seemed more visibly syrupy. A nice tight mousse-like tan head appeared and continued to lace throughout the drink.

Smell: I may have been handicapped by congestion, but I could just hardly decipher any nose at all. What little I could smell had an oak and alcohol mixture more reminiscent of some dark red wines I've tried than the porters I'm used to.

Taste: The whole of this beer proved to be as dark and mysterious as it seemed on the pour. An amalgam of flavors were present, but it was hard to distinguish particulars. I tasted defined hops, more oak barrel as the smell had foreshadowed, tiny bits of roasted malts throughout, tiny bits of chocolate and coffee, and a highly unexpected slightly sweet finish.

Mouthfeel: A good mix of carbonation and medium viscosity made the feel very nice. The beer swirled nicely around and I found it poised well between heavy and light. However, the feel appeared significantly thinner than the flavor indicated.

Drinkability: I don't know what to think about this one. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed it. I had very high hopes for this dark and robust looking beer, but it fell flat. The look and palate were somewhat stout-like, but the flavors were too clouded and unbalanced for my taste and the mouthfeel left me wondering where Hooker's cojones went. I'd like to try this beer on tap or cask. My overall assessment is that this Hooker Imperial Porter is an odd brew that might be overly ambitious and it has come out too big for it's britches.
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Links:
Hooker Imperial Porter Page
Beeradvocate Page
ratebeer Page