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13 reviews for Thomas Hooker Brewery
13 reviews in English
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Review from Steve S.
1/20/2012
Why drive to Boston when you can swing by Bloomfield!!?!! Having done a tour of Sam Adams brewery, I can tell you that you get far more out of the Thomas Hooker Brewery on all levels. This brew tour takes you to the bare bones of brewing. Owner and brew master are available at all times during the tasting/tour & being able to be on the actual bottling and brewing floor is awesome. Up at Sam Adams, it's more of a show than the real thing.
Not to mention how awesome THB is!! They have such a great variety of beers, especially the newest beer which was just released today: Chocolate Truffle. Such amazing flavors made with Munson's chocolate, this beer did wonders on my tongue.
As soon as you can, head up to Bloomfield to see this top notch brewery, only 10 minutes outside of Hartford. 10 bucks gets you a pint glass & all the beer you can drink!!...why wait!??!?? -
Review from Freesia S.
Meriden, CT
8/14/2011 ROTD 2/6/2012
I knew that Friday open houses were $10 including a pint glass, but I didn't know until this Saturday when I stopped in that Saturday open house - with just beer, no glasses - is only $5. You really can't beat that! The beer is delicious - we were able to try five or six that were rotating on tap - and we stayed for a good two hours, drinking as much beer as we wanted. We got a neat, very informative tour of the brewery from a member of the staff, and for the rest of the time, we were able to sit in one of the seating areas and just hang out. The atmosphere is great - all of the staff is really friendly, and it wasn't that crowded on a Saturday afternoon. There was a TV set up with an Xbox Kinect, so we could play a little virtual bowling, too.
This was my second time at the Thomas Hooker Brewery. My first time was for a fundraiser, where we paid a little more, but it was for charity, and I still think it was a great deal for all the beer we got, and for how much fun we had. Whether you're stopping in for a fundraiser, a Friday open house, or a Saturday open house, the tour and unlimited beer is a great deal, and it's always a good time. -
Review from Vilay S.
3/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Worst brewery/tasting experience ever. It looks like everyone else reviewed the Saturday tours, I went for the 1st Friday thing where you pay $10 and sample all you want. It was so full there was nowhere to park. Then, we waited 20 mins in line just to pay the entrance and get our cup. Then we had to wait again to get our 2-shotglasses worth of beer. I'm 27 and even I felt kinda old there. It was totally a bar & social scene rather than your standard brewery tour. Plenty of kids were using it as a pre-game and meeting up friends for house parties later.
This place was packed. Like you could barely move anywhere, and anytime you move you are in someone's way. There were two bars where you could get samples. One bar was in the back - there was no line, you just had stand there and shove your way in, and try not to spill your shot of beer trying to squeeze out. The other bar was more orderly - people were waiting in a smoothly moving line. It was so long that you got your sample, went back to the end of the line and drank it while waiting for your next turn. Standing in line with a plastic cup waiting for free booze? Reminds me of college frat parties. This was basically the same as an Asylum St bar or club - just as loud, just as crowded, and just as likely to get into a fight.
Oh and "brewery tour"? No. You're drinking on the floor of the brew factory, and that's the tour. That would be cool, if you could actually move close to anything to see it, but that's a lot of effort and a lot of chances to piss off a bro. I didn't learn anything about the beer or the brewery but I did learn that people still wear baseball hats cocked kinda sideways, and that if you're a guy and someone opens the door for you only because they want to ogle your girlfriend, you better say thank you because he'll give you shit. -
Review from Sarah S.
4/6/2011
The Brewery's Friday Open House was the first stop during my friend's birthday celebration last weekend. That event runs from 5 to 8pm, and for $10 you receive a small plastic cup for unlimited tastings, which you can turn in for a souvenir pint glass on the way out. The price is very reasonable, and was made even more so when guys at the door let my fiance and I in for $5 each because we got there late, at 7:15. They were really friendly, and we could tell they were happy to be there.
The place was very crowded, but our group staked out a spot, and never had trouble getting samples. They were offering the Munich Style Lager, Irish Red, an IPA, and the seasonal Watermelon Ale (which most of our group didn't care for, but if you can find a way to make a beer smell like a Jolly Rancher, I'm in). I enjoyed all the samples. That said, I wish they had offered more than four. According to the website, they have eight year-round beers, and I would have liked to have tried them. I'm sure there are logistical reasons why they don't offer more-- with that many people, serving more than four beers could get complicated.
On the cons list: The lighting in the brewery was off-puttingly bright. That, combined with the fact that it had to have been 80 degrees in the building, made me feel like I was sitting under a halogen lamp. (If you think that makes me sound elderly, wait until you hear this...) There also wasn't really any place to sit. So, minus a star because it wasn't the most comfortable situation, but otherwise it was a fun activity. -
Review from Dan H.
Granby, CT
6/18/2011
Love the beer. Great open houses with "tours" twice a month. Growlers give the freshest taste. Love the Liberator, Blonde. Be ready for a bitter IPA.
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Review from Art S.
New Haven, CT
5/28/2008
Good times are to be had at the Hooker Brewery. The beers are pretty good, and for $10 (they bumped it up from $5) you can drink 'til your heart's content.
I'll echo the sentiment of the previous reviewer. There's a very interesting group of people here, and they give you munchies to help you quaff more beer. Granted, they only give you about 40% of a pint with each pour, but it's not hard to stroll back up to the bar and ask for more. Well, it's not hard the first dozen times or so, but then it gets progressively more difficult... -
Review from scott e.
Lake Forest, CA
12/9/2009
Traveld up to this brewery the day after thanksgiving. Thought i had read they were having a sale on merch for black friday. Soon found out that was the online store...oops
Thankfully the head brewery was there and i dropped the "i'm visiting from southern california" line, which got us invited in to have a few samples.
Most of the beer is pretty pub standard flavors. I think the yeast strain they use isn't my favorite, but the beer was clean and tasty. The one beer that stuck out was the Imperial Porter. Yum, have to get this in a bottle. Big beer, easy to share with friends.
Their T-shirts are funny hooker references. Easy to please and no STDs or LAST CALL? Better grab a Hooker...
If i lived around the corner i would come here alot, but if i lived more than 20 minute drive i don't think i'd go out of my way. -
Review from Cathy S.
12/30/2009
Last week was our first time at the brewery. We heard for $5 you could tour the brewery and try samples of the beers on tap. Upon arrival, we found parking right away in the "alley" and made our way into the brewery to meet my sister's friends.
There was a lively crowd of about 20 or so people in the tap area. 4 beers were on tap (Blonde, Irish Red, IPA, and Nor' Easter Lager) and like I said $5 got you unlimited tastes in a taster cup. Within a few minutes of arriving, they started up a tour which only a few people joined. Our tour guide (a teacher during the school year), guided us around the brewing equipment, explaining the process, and the different ingredients for different colors and styles of beers. The most impressive part of the tour was the bottling line, which you usually never see because they either bottle off-site or it's so big (like Harpoon), that they don't bring tours through that area. I really enjoyed learning more about the bottling process and seeing it first hand.
After the tour, we headed back over to the tasting area and people began pouring in to try the beers and meet up with their friends. I look forward to our next visit so I can try the Watermelon Ale. -
Review from Michele T.
Hartford, CT
5/17/2009
$10 for bottomless glasses of beer and $2 for slices of pizza. A great way to start the weekend.
The crowd was manageable and the lines moved quickly. Great people watching, I never saw so many tucked in T-shirts before. It was warm, so people spilled outside. Overall it was a fun happy hour. -
Review from Byron B.
Boston, MA
2/15/2010
Upon arrival, we were a little confused. From the outside, the place looks like an old factory-type building. Not the nicest looking place by a long shot. Since the location isn't the greatest place in CT (in Bloomfield on the boarder of Hartford) we were a little leery of entering...but out taste for beer took over and we went in.
There was a pretty good crowd of about 25 people inside. There is a small "bar" area where the taps are and across the room is where they make beer. they had 4 beers were on tap (Blonde, Irish Red, IPA, and Nor' Easter Lager). The price was $5 and it was all you can sample (in small sample cups). There was a tour going on when we arrived, so we decided to just start trying beer. Well, there was not another tour while we were there (about an hour). This was fine tho as we really just wanted to taste some beer and look around.
They sell Hooker merchandise there which is pretty cool. It was fun, and if you are looking for something to do on a Saturday afternoon, then go check it out! -
Review from Kate G.
Washington, DC
9/11/2011
This was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Just $5 gets you a cool, informative tour of the premises and limitless samples of the beers they have on tap - I don't know how you can beat that deal! The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the vibe is laid back and relaxed.
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Review from Meghan R.
Boston, MA
4/21/2008
I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but there are places in Greater Hartford making beer. Not selling it, not operating a bar and mixing up some concoctions for the locals, but solely making beer. Who knew!? Anyone who likes the occasional Hooker, that's who. Biweekly, Fridays, 5-8pm, the wonderful folks at the wonderful brewery open up shop for a $5 beer tasting of their classics - Liberator, Munich, Irish Red, American - and all for a good cause. Snacks on barrels, an ecelectic crowd, a great deal. You should check it out. Not only can you pregame in a new spot, you can also bring home your very own Hooker... glass that is. We've got 12.
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Review from ronald s.
11/4/2008
you cant beat $10 for unlimited hookers!!
when i was here it was pretty crowded - and the crowd ranged from college kids getting their drink on to some older foody type people really enjoying the fresh suds. the snacks weren't really worth mentioning, i think it was also someones birthday when we were there - so there was cake, and beer. fill the pint glass (usually half way) and get back on line while you drink .. they had a seasonal beer when we we there - watermelon - which i expected to be gross, but i was pleasantly surprised .. if you are in the area and want to sample all the beers and they are doing one of these open houses you gotta stop by and check it out!!
the ambience is well ... a brewery. you are drinking amongst big stainless kettles and bottling machinery, its pretty cool .. it smells like hops and yeast. this is where the hooker magic happens!
at the end of it all, you get to keep your classy hooker pint glass!
