Hooker Day Parade
In case you haven’t heard the Hooker Day Parade is back baby! That’s right the wacky parade is returning to Hartford this Sunday after a six year hiatus! Brilliant move by the city we say! Originally started in 1991 by Mayor Mike Peters the Hooker Day Parade was created to honor Hartford and it’s founder Thomas Hooker and bring some excitement into downtown.
“We wanted to shake up the buttoned-up insurance professional part of downtown,” Hartford City Clerk and Hooker Day Parade co-founder Dan Carey said.
The parade somewhat mimics the journey Thomas Hooker took with his 100 followers when they left Boston and wandered through the woods ending up at Hartford. Except in this version people dress up in crazy costumes, only walk a few blocks and generally make fools of themselves!
Hooker Parade 2001
Unfortunately Thomas Hooker Brewing won’t officially be present. Our request to have the Hooker Beer trailer in the parade was denied. It was a last minute decision by the city to even have the parade so you can bet we’ll be pushing hard for more involvement next year. We’re encouraging all of our loyal fans to dawn their Hooker shirts and hats and take to the streets anyway!
We’d also argue that there’s no better way to pre-party or post-party a Hooker Parade than with genuine Thomas Hooker Ales and Lagers! Show our founder some respect! Pick up a six pack at your local package store, stop by the brewery on Saturday and get some growlers to go, or stop by at a bar afterward.
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When: This Sunday October 26th @ 3pm.
Where: Starts at High and Allyn streets and ends at Mayor Mikes restaurant. Guess who happens to carry Hooker Beer….Mayor Mikes!! If they’re too packed just cruise over to the Pourhouse or the Pump House. Check out the hooker beer locator for more hooker beer friendly post-party locations (mayor mikes zipcode 06103).
Anyone can jump in the parade and crazy costumes are encouraged!! There’s also going to be live music by the Hartford Arts Council and lots of goodies and giveaways. Take pictures and send them to us and we’ll put them up on our website!
For more details and history on the parade check out this article from the Hartford Advocate
Thomas Hooker Homebrew Contest Winners
The results are in from the 1st Annual “So You Think You Can Brew” Thomas Hooker homebrew contest. We received a ton of quality homebrews and anyone who sampled the entries at the Thomas Hooker Brewfest can attest to that.
Our panel of BJCP certified judges chose Patrick Marsh’s Dry Imperial IPA as the Grand Prize winner. Patrick will assist with the brewing and bottling of a 20bbl batch of his delicious IPA which will then be sold at select retailers throughout Connecticut (we’ll keep you posted on that!). Patrick also fattens his wallet with $1,500 in cash! Runner up goes to Timothy Phelps and Mike Eyre’s Roggenbier. They take home $500 in cash for their award winning rye beer. The attendees of the Thomas Hooker Brewfest voted for Marco Tirillo and Dave White’s “Dirty Water Brown Ale” as the winner of the $1,000 People’s Choice prize. The people have spoken!
- Grand Prize: Patrick Marsh – Dry Imperial IPA
- Runner Up: Timothy Phelps & Mike Eyre – Roggenbier [Hillside Brewing]
- People’s Choice – Marco Tirillo & Dave White – Dirty Water Brown Ale
Grand Prize - Patrick Marsh (Dry Imperial IPA)
Runner Up - Timothy Phelps & Mike Eyre (not pictured) Roggenbier
People's Choice - Marco Tirillo & Dave White (Dirty Water Brown Ale)
Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and attended the brewfest. We had an awesome time and can’t wait to make it even better for next year (stay tuned).
For more photos of the brewfest visit the album over at the Hooker Gallery
Thomas Hooker rated best Octoberfest by the New York Times
NY Times Interactive Oktoberfest Gallery
A panel of beer tasters at the New York Times just rated Thomas Hooker Octoberfest the best of the 24 Oktoberfest/Marzen style beers they sampled! It was an impressive sampling group that included seven German beers and four of the six traditional beers found at Oktoberfest in Munich.
In a double win Hooker Octoberfest also won for best value!
Excerpt:
“The No. 1 beer, Octoberfest from Thomas Hooker, was beautifully balanced with each flavor component melding into a delicious, refreshing whole. If you ponder each sip, as we did in our tasting, you might remark on the malt aromas or the way the bitterness of the hops contributes to a clean, crisp feeling in the mouth after you swallow. But if you are polishing off a bottle at a party, or simply having a conversation with a friend or watching a ballgame, you would simply notice how enjoyable the beer was and reach for another.”
Look for our Octoberfest out in stores and on tap now. Come by the brewery for our open house this Friday to taste it fresh off the brew tanks and talk with our brewer about what makes the Hooker Octoberfest so special.
Links:
Fox 61 Morning Show Live at Thomas Hooker Brewery
Fox 61 Morning Show Live at the brewery
Fox 61 was at the brewery all morning filming live segments for their morning show. Check out all four segments below:
Brewery Tour : Curt gives a quick tour of the brewery
Community involvement : Curt discussing the brewery’s community involvement
Beer Lineup : Curt gives a rundown of our beer offerings
History and Hops : Curt talks about the history of the brewery and our hop farm
Thomas Hooker Hats now available in the online store
hooker hat (black)
Check out our new Thomas Hooker Baseball hats. Get yours in black or khaki. These are some high quality hats, and you could be wearing one with pride for only $14.
Hooker Brewery Reports Rash Of Keg Thefts
Hooker Keg
Thomas Hooker featured in a WFSB Channel 3 Eye Witness News special report on the rise of keg thefts. Watch the full report with Hallie Jackson.
Teresa From WFSB Checks Out Hooker Brewery
WFSB Better Connecticut
Thomas Hooker featured on WFSB’s “Better Connecticut”. Watch the full video segment with Better Budddy Teresa Labarbera as she tours the brewery.
Announcing the Connecticut Home Brew Contest
Connecticut Home Brew Contest
Thomas Hooker presents the 1st Annual “So You Think You Can Brew” Connecticut Home Brew Contest. All of the details are available at the contest home page.
Watermelon Ale Release Party July 4th
New Watermelon Ale
Be the first to taste our brand new Watermelon Ale, at the July 4th Open House from 5-8pm at the Thomas Hooker Brewery.
The light and crisp Ale has a hint of watermelon essence, which is accented with colorful hues, resulting in a very refreshing thirst quenching brew.
Our More Than A Mouthful Watermelon Ale is sure to please a variety of palates lending itself to being the perfect summer treat.
- Jay Ramos (Head Brewer)
The New York Times visits Thomas Hooker
New York Times Article
Read what the well respected folks from the Big Apple have to say about our brewery and the weekend beer tastings.
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HookerBeer across the web
RT @TheCTonWTXX: Photos from our visit to the Thomas Hooker Brewery Open House are up! - http://snipr.com/upmkp
In case you missed it, Curt made an appearance fri on the fox61 morning news with Sara French: http://bit.ly/bAt0bD http://bit.ly/diRZDh
Another rockin open house underway with TV crews on the scene! http://bit.ly/dpyhZi
The 4-packs are here! The 4-packs are here! Liberator doppelbock and imperial porter in stores now. http://bit.ly/9L9zko
