Review Date 7/20/2006 Last Updated 9/5/2014
Try?
Re-buy?
So when I heard that Trout Brook was releasing Thomas Hooker Liberator
Doppelbock, well, I just had to have some. It took a while, and I had to
chase a bottle down by visiting a number of local liquor stores. But find
one I did, and all in all it was well worth the search. I do enjoy a good
beer hunt, after all. Liberator is no average beer, and the bottle is a dead giveaway on that score. It’s a hefty one liter in size, topped with a swing-top cap and adorned with a noble looking goat. Bock is German for goat, and the beer, like the animal, has a kick. It usually has an alcohol content of around 7% to 8% by volume, half again as strong as most beers. The price tag kicks just as hard: I paid $11 for my bottle. But trust me, it’s worth every penny.
Double Bocks were actually invented centuries ago in Munich, Germany by Italian monks. Giving up solid food for lent, they would imbibe this strong malty style of “liquid bread”, and their creation has been memorialized in Paulaner’s Salvator Doppelbock. Let’s let Trout Brook talk about their version for a bit:
Thomas Hooker Doppelbock Lager blends huge amounts of imported Munich, Vienna and Moravian malts with select dark roasted malts to achieve a malt lover's dream of a rich and creamy brew. Subtly hopped with noble German and Czech hops and cool fermented with a Bavarian lager yeast, this beer will leave you happy to give up solid food for a while. No dessert necessary.
Let’s pour some, shall we?
Thomas Hooker Liberator Doppelbock pours to a dark mahogany color
with a huge thick and creamy tan head and a sweet nutty malty nose. I’m
using a half liter Gordon Biersch Winter Bock mug here, and the first pour
from the bottle fills my glass with about half liquid and half foam. Allowing the liquid to settle a little, I take my first sip. I’ve allowed the bottle to warm slightly, and my palate is immediately assaulted by sweet, sticky liquid packed with tons of flavor: an explosion of toasty-nutty Munich malt, bittersweet chocolate, molasses, dark and roasty Vienna, a soft and barely perceptible fruitiness. The sweetness is heavy at first, but gives way slightly in the finish to a grassy hop bitterness and a gentle alcohol warmth. Just for a moment though: the sweet malt and bitter hops seem locked in a titanic battle for your taste buds, and the sweetness eventually emerges again as the winner.
This is a hefty beer indeed, and a full liter is quite a bit to drink. Best to share its wonderful malty sweetness with a friend. If you’re gift-giving, this is perfect for the beer lover on your list. Overall, I rate it four and three quarters. It’s hard to give such a big beautiful beer any less, but I think it could benefit from toning down the hops just a tad for the style.
Don’t miss this limited production brew, folks.
Update 9/5/2014: Recently picked up a 4-pack of this beauty at Sherlocks in Marietta. Have I mentioned this is one of my very favorite beers in America? It is. A truly delicious doppelbock, authentic and bursting with nutty malty melanoidin goodness. As good as I remember it, just as I described it above, and if you've never tried it, well, you need to get out there and get some.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
