Proudly named for the founder of Hartford, Thomas Hooker Ales & Lagers are hand crafted in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Along with a full range of year round offerings, Hooker produces three seasonal beers. In just a few shorts weeks, their winter lager hits shelves – “Brewed to celebrate Winter in New England, Nor’Easter Lager possesses a Hearty Malt flavor delicately accented by mild winter spices.”

The brew contains a variety of malts – Canadian 2-Row, Munich Light, Carapils, Caramunich I, Caramunich II, Vienna, Wheat Malt – and hops – Bittering (Spalt, Hallertau), Flavor (Hallertau), Aroma (Saaz) – and lands on November 1 with an ABV of 5.8%.

No, Jason, this post is not about Devlin’s Dagenham-based mentor.

It is, in fact, about Laughing Dog Brewing, of Standpoint, Iowa. Their Dogzilla is another nod to the growing interest and return of the black IPA. Here’s what they say  – “True to its IPA roots Dogzilla has a massive hop presence that is Piney and Citrusy. A malty backbone, along with the dark malt gives it a bit of a roasty finish. Brewed with Simcoe and Cascade Hops, Pale Malt, Munich, and Black Barley.”

Dogzilla hits at 6.9%abv and sells in 22oz bottles.

Pretty Things, a brewery in Cambridge, MA, positions itself as a “beer and ale project.” Their desire to recreate beers of the past, in full historic reenactment, clears up just why “project” is an apt term for the business.

The second in their “Once Upon a Time…” series launched yesterday. The KK is a black ale, originally produced in Edwardian London and full of hops. It is also darker than a porter. Will the black ale return to glory? Beats me. But, there are certainly a few new (and recreated ones) on the market this fall.

Beer News has a far more eloquent review should you desire.

Pretty Things flier for the beer is also available for view after the jump.

Launching today (in about an hour), Sixpoint Crisp Lagers offers a new dimension to the output of Brooklyn’s best brewery. Sixpoint will kick-off the new line of beers with the “Sehr Crisp” Pilsner-style beer. “The formal, stated intention of the Crisp Lagers division is to create delicious, unique, bold and crisp lager beers by harnessing the natural qualities of the four classic beer ingredients – malt, hops, water and yeast. The name “Sixpoint” is already synonymous with well-crafted beers. The Crisp Lager line, in tandem with the Craft Ales portfolio, creates a wider and more dynamic range of Sixpoint beers to better serve the discerning palate and myriad of social situations.”

This will hopefully help uplift the lowly lager over time and begin to rid our nation of things like Pabst Blue Ribbon.

My brother emailed me yesterday to say that Fire Island Beer Company is worth a look.

Here’s what they say about their IPA, “Red Wagon IPA, the second delicious beer from Fire Island Beer Company, is inspired by the uncomplicated lifestyle of the car-less island and all the perspective of its inhabitants who make do by fitting everything important into the back of their pull wagons.”

I will also add that they have one of the most charming websites of any beer company and that the notes about Fire Island printed on their labels are equally ace.

A direct view of the bottle after the jump.

Need a break from the desert heat?

Knowing that many of our peers are in Sin City, we figured what better time to highlight a craft brewery from Nevada. Ruby Mountain has been knocking out beers since 1994, but the story differs a bit from the normal craft tale. Owners Steve and Maggie Safford operate Ruby Mountain from their working ranch, the brewery established as a way to diversify the ranch economy. The beer complements bales of hay and Black Angus cattle.

The Wild West Hefeweizen has thrice been awarded a Gold Medal of Distinction from the National Brewers Association. It boasts all the signature flavor of a proper Bavarian Hefeweizen, fruity and spicy notes both.

At roughly 5 years old, Thornbridge Brewery holds more silverwear than the Williams sisters. Their brewer, Mr. Steffano Costi, is UK brewer of the year. His distinction tops off just about 100 different awards Thornbridge has won in its short history.

Located in Derbyshire, they say “Culinary alchemist Heston Blumenthal would approve of the Thornbridge approach to brewing beer.”

My brother reports that both the Kipling (a South Pacific pale ale) and the Jaipor (an India pale ale) are delicious. He also claims, “It is an ace brewery on the rise.” Everything mentioned above should make that statement all the more obvious.

Thornbridge has a great blog, so if you’re truly interested in your suds, head on over to their site.

My brother, Christopher, is in Scotland doing some heavy drinking. His simple review of “Dark Island” by the Orkney Brewery as “class,” is perfect understatement. The beer has twice won CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Scotland and proclaims itself “a standard-bearer for traditional Scottish ales.”

Produced with chocolate malt and wheat, the finish holds a smooth hop bitterness. Brewer Norman Sinclair believes his “Dark Island” the perfect compliment to red meat dishes. Christopher thinks it just fine for a relaxed session.

A good reminder that the Scots know more than just whiskey.

Located in Redlands, California, Hangar 24 is the creation of 6-year brewing veteran Ben Cook. His summer seasonal, the Hangar 24 Polycot Wheat, locally grown, organic apricots, pureed at their peak (around mid-July) to provide a refreshingly tart finish. At 7.5% abv, the beer is a tad sneaky, and gives punch to the smooth finish.

Those in Southern California should certainly seek it out.

Though slightly old news, “The End of History” by BrewDog still deserves space for its outrageous packaging. Now sold out, “The End of History” holds records as the most alcoholic (55% abv) beer and the first beer to be packaged in side of dead animals. The Scottish brewers, two 26-year olds that founded BrewDog  in 2007 with the desire to shake up the British brew industry, suggest it is the “Beer to end all beers.” For the bottles they used seven stoats, four squirrels, and a hare.

While “The End of History” might just end with a legacy of insanity, BrewDog’s general range is inventive and typically delicious. That said, I can’t imagine that sniffing out a stout cloaked bottle would be a bad idea… the investment potential seems quite high.

More images, via Dezeen, of the bottles after the jump.