thomas hooker brewery

Thomas Hooker Brewery offers 10, 3-4oz samples of their best brews for just $5. Short, 25minute tour included in price. Their warehouse is majestic and they offer free pony rides. (JUST KIDDING!--though, that would be cool.) VIsit THB on a Saturday afternoon for an authentic, brewhouse experience!

Overall a great time for a Saturday afternoon. $5 tour with ten samples which get you feeling pretty good! Can't have a bad time at that price. Typical brewery where they have assortments of beer, some of which are great and some of which I don't care for.

We came recently with another couple. They added a new outdoor patio and more parking. Its not huge, but there are 2 areas for sampling. Very generous samples, especially for the price. They do not sell any food. Fun place for beer tasting!

Lets see the beers were subpar all around. There best beers came up to average only. They are all about volume not quality. The staff are largely clueless and the crowd is loud and knows little about beer. It's like visiting a high school cafeteria. But the worst was the "we don't have the capability to sell you a empty growler, but you can pay full price for a empty one". Are you so stupid that you can't figure out how to charge for a empty piece of glass. They only do that with growlers by the way when the beer sucks. Don't waste your time. There are much better beer spots in CT like Steam City or Back East or Fire Fly.

Here's the good - the brewery is local. The price is very reasonable. For $5 you get a tour and 10 samples (big, 4oz samples). The place is actually quite large. Many breweries don't have a large area for people to hang out in, but this place has that. They have two bar areas with different beers at each one with lots of staff serving. They also have a large merchandise area and couches for seating along the wall.Here's the bad - We went on a Saturday around 3:00. It was so crowded. There was a line to get a drink. It seems to be a big hang out for people in the area and since it's so reasonably priced you get a lot of loud, drunk people in there. I can't blame the brewery for that since they don't control how rowdy it gets in there. It just kind of ruins the atmosphere a bit - especially because it was 3:00. Also, since it's that crowded the bartenders can't really tell you about the beer which is something that makes small breweries so interesting. We had received free vouchers to go - we ended up skipping the tour and only trying two of the beers. We don't care for much of their beer, just our personal taste. The bar that had the better beer had a 20+ person line the entire time we were there, so we just decided to leave. It might be better to arrive when they open, before a big crowd arrives.

I have been to a few brewery tours around the country, but I do have to say that Hooker is one of the most generous when it comes to the beers. Entry gives you 10 samplings of any beer they have one tap (they have like 10-12 different styles and can't really go wrong with any of them). Definitely try the watermelon beer when it is available for something a little different. It is a great atmosphere to go with friends or family. The only downside of Hooker is that there really isn't much to the tour. If you've been to another tour before, it probably isn't worth it. Then again, it is literally a 5-10 min tour so it doesn't take up a ton of time, but they don't care if you skip it and keep drinking. The gift shop has tons of cool shirts and the growlers aren't terribly priced. I would definitely come back here again.

$5 get's you a tour and 10 samplings. Upon arrival we thought we would fly through our 10 samplings but we were wrong. We spent at least an hour there. All the beers were good though i recommend starting with the lighter beers and working to the heavy ones.

Went with a group of friends on a Saturday for the tour & tasting - get there early (opens at noon) so you can get in with the first tour group and then get to the tasting! You are given a bracelet with 'tabs' that allow you to try 10 samples... Nobody in our group was able to drink all 10 samples - plan accordingly and designate a driver. Good time, great deal for $5.

My husband and I decided to do something new at the spur of the moment. Thomas Hooker Brewery has an inviting atmosphere and we were instantly comfortable. We got lots of bang for our buck. We were given a ticket bracelet allowing us 10 samples. We had to stop after 6 though. We are keeping the bracelet as a souvenir along with a 64 ounce signature bottle filled with our favorite beer, a blonde ale. Oh, and Thomas Hooker was an amazing man. His history is displayed at the brewery. The tour was informative, the tour guide, bartenders, and even the person greeting at the door was up beat and pleasant. I plan on going again soon and bringing some friends.

Every first and third Friday from 5 to 8 the hooker brewery open the doors to come and try there beers. It's costs $10 to get in which a lot of that goes to charity. The people are always friendly and you can strike up a conversation with almost anyone In the room. I Love coming here with my friends.

it was fun,It got really crowded for a while. I think they ran out of cups after a while.You need to position yourself far a tactical advantage when order your next beer.Once you get a system down its all good.

My Daughter bought admission for me and three friends to tour this brewery. We were surprised by the friendly atmosphere, even though there were at lease 150 people there during the two hours we were there, and the beer servers were constantly in action. Everyone was cheerful and friendly. For the admission price $10 I believe, you get the tour, very interesting, and a wrist band with 10 tabs one tab will be taken for each 4oz sample. On the way out we were given a Thomas Hooker glass. This was a great way to send an afternoon with friends.

I want to steal language from so many other reviewers, but just read them yourself. If you like beer, you can sample a variety of different, quality types. Friendly staff, informative tour just long enough, or short enough. Went with a group and had a fun time. It was kind of crowded, being a couple days after an email coupon was sold, so avoid the first Saturday after that. But it's inexpensive, fun to sample/compare/debate, nice stuff for sale in a room with sports on TV and plenty of beer and Hooker Brewery info to read....go and enjoy!

This is a great place to visit/tour on a Saturday afternoon (noon - 5pm). Free samplings, and a nice gift shop area. Tour is fairly short.

This is a small (thus: Microbrewery) brewery that produces limited quantities of ales and lagers sold mostly in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The tour is short, but informative and you get to walk right through the middle of their production line. They answer questions with ease and aplomb.The staff is friendly and welcoming, and let's face it, for $5 - you get to taste 10 4oz sample cups of beer (that's like 2.5 regular beers) in a fun, if not raucous, environment. They have a few historical exhibits to explain home brewing in Connecticut, as well as some Connecticut history - (find out why it's REALLY called the Constitution State.) I also noticed that the bartenders don't really pay much attention to your "chips" that you hand in for beers, and you could probably drink more than your 10 if you really wanted to. It seems that they are genuinely happy that you are there to taste and consume their craft product.This is a great way to spend any afternoon, soak in some history, good beer, and appreciate fine Connecticut hospitality and craftsmanship. I would definitely take people back there.