Shantytown Doppelbock
Tyranena Brewing Company

Shantytown DoppelbockShantytown Doppelbock
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Tyranena Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Doppelbock
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.73 | pDev: 7.51%
Reviews:
26
Ratings:
26
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 03, 2011
Added:
Jun 12, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by morimech:
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.67/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark reddish/amber with a small head that quickly recedes to a ring. Very little lacing left on the glass.

Smells of sweet malt with a slight earthiness.

Has a sweet malty taste. Hints of caramel, nuts, and chocolate but I don't get any fruit flavors. Has a slight booziness as well.

Has a big body and slightly surupy feel. Low carbonation.

A nice dopplebock and worth a try. Very malty, filling, and boozy makes consumption slow.
May 07, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
reviewed from notes from a bottle given to me as an extra so i could complete my brewery vertical.

dark brown in color with a light transperency on the sides and the bottom, giving off just a touch of a reddish hue. Nice big head of tan on top fades and leaves behind lots of side glass lacing. Aroma starts out with lots of caramel, a nice roasted nuttiness and a smooth, light oak like aroma coming up. Letting it warm and open up releases a touch of a boozy bourbon like smell and hints of vanilla. Rich flavor here, malty as all hell with light touches of vanilla and bourbon kicking around the outside of it. Lots of roasted notes, earthy and herbal like with lots of rich caramel flavor. Nice clean finish with a light touch of oak and vanilla
Aug 03, 2011
Photo of GbVDave
Reviewed by GbVDave from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a DT tulip. Thanks to neubernie for the hook-up!

Bottled on: 17NOV2007

A: Pours a relatively clear, reddish, orange-y brown color with a small tan-colored head that leaves not much lace in the glass.

S: Aromas of toffee, toasted malt, raisin, nuts, and chocolate. All good until I noted a tiny hint of some buttery butterscotch. I don't like that aroma in beer. Thankfully it was just a little bit.

T: Big sweet toffee/caramel flavors along with dark chocolate, rum soaked raisin, pan roasted nut, toasted malt. Didn't taste any of the aforementioned butterscotch.

M: Sweet and pretty thick. Sticky. There's a distinct peppery dryness that develops during the middle and continues on into the finish.

D: Despite the briefly shudder-inducing butterscotch aroma, this was an enjoyable beer. I'd like to try a fresher example (this one was 11 months old when I reviewed it) to compare.
Oct 22, 2008
Photo of timbro81
Reviewed by timbro81 from Oklahoma

3.74/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a reddish/copper hue with a standard sized 1/2 inch head that is quick to disappear. Almost no carbonation. Smells of rich sweet caramel, good, and not too much else. Taste is more of the same, nothing really spectacular. Balanced with some very subtle hops that bring up the finish. Pretty good.
Jul 16, 2008
Photo of ibashmuck
Reviewed by ibashmuck from Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased as part of "build-your-own-six-pack" at local grocer. Medium foamy head on a dark amber body. Smell was sweet, caramel very prominent. Taste was exactly the same, very nice malt sweetness balanced with a low alcohol bite. Thick to the mouth, but not ridiculously so. Not a huge fan of this style, but this is far and away the best I've had. Very tasty.
Jul 13, 2008
Photo of beereality
Reviewed by beereality from Illinois

3.87/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
vigorous pour into an imperial pint produces a sudsy head that disapates quickly and leaves no lacing that I can find. smells super malty, sweet. Nice orangy brown liquid. very smooth rich roasted malt flavor. super drinkable, but watch out for that 6.5 abv. gotta go visit that brewry! road trip!! thanks Bernie
May 24, 2008
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pristine persimmon with ripe orange borders. An increasingly elevated pour netted no more than two fingers of caramel nougat colored foam. It's a pretty good looking head, though. It's firmly creamy and is so persistent that no lace has yet appeared. In the end, almost none sticks.

The earthy toasted nuttiness of Munich malt is obvious in the nose. The other members of the grain bill include pale, caramel and black. The beer smells as much like an Oktoberfest as it does a doppelbock.

After the first sip, this Tyranena winter seasonal is somewhere between pretty decent and good. Let's see what the next 11 ounces have to say for themselves. Actually, there's too much sweetness and too much dark maltiness for the Oktoberfest style. Okay, so it's a doppelbock after all.

The surprisingly complex flavor profile begins to find its groove as the beer gains a few degrees. Specifics include dark caramel, roasted peanuts, dried autumn fruits, German hops and a wee pinch of brown sugar. Well done.

The mouthfeel deserves to be commended as well. It's at least medium-full for the style and is more ale-like than lager-like, with an expansive creaminess and well-calibrated carbonation. The next highest score was seriously considered.

I wondered why the hell anyone would name a beer after a slum area when it occured to me (after a close inspection of the label) that Shantytown probably refers to the motley collection of shacks that can be seen on a lake during ice fishing season. If so, this is a pretty good name for a winter beer brewed in the state of Wisconsin.

Shantytown Doppelbock's biggest problem is that it shares a distribution area with Capital's outstanding Autumnal Fire. Since I'm not a huge fan of the style, I would probably go with AF on those rare doppelbock buying occasions. Those who love them, and who are lucky enough to live in Madison, should be thankful for the embarrassment of riches.
Apr 26, 2008
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Tasty beer. Not one of their best nor very distinguishable. True to form. Pours with a nice head that dissipates and a little lace. Typical doppel bock flavor. It's good that it's not over sweet. Nice dark amber color. Real good caramel toffee finish. Be fun to cook with this.
Apr 18, 2008
Photo of Atron67
Reviewed by Atron67 from Wisconsin

4.02/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
A- poured a red amber, crystal clear body with a tan/off-white head that was pretty frothy on top, its slowly settled down to a thin film, didnt get much lacing though

S- nice maltiness, light biscuity character, light estery character which gives it a light fruit character in my opinion, overall very nice

T- smooth light malty character, clean, pretty delicious, light biscuit charachter again that gives it a great touch

M- medium to light body, light carbonation

D- very refreshing drink, light malt character, not as strong and out there as others but great session beer in my opinion, could down a bunch and be great
Apr 01, 2008
Photo of Homerbag
Reviewed by Homerbag from Wisconsin

3.97/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Rich amber body that starts with a one and a half finger thick head and settles to a lacing ring.

Smell is a of heavy malts. Chocolate,caramel, and maybe some biscuity type. Very bready and true to dopple fashion. Tastes of a light liquid bread. Very malty, but not thick. It does not have the meal in a glass feel that most dopplebocks have. If that is what you are looking for you will be let down, but this is still very tasty. Feel is on the lighter side, but that makes it more sessionable, instead of the one and done with normally heavy beers, two will do.

A great offering from the hop masters at Tyranena. Quickly becoming the Wisconsin brewery that I look forward to. Not really true to style dopplebock, but these guys pretty much follow their own rules. Purists will be let down, beer geeks won't.
Feb 19, 2008
Photo of botham
Reviewed by botham from New York

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle poured into a pilsner. pours a fiery amber color with a sizable light orange head that takes a few wonderful seconds to settle out.

aroma is malty, with a distinctive spiced character. caramel and chocolate malts are present, with a bit of alcohol, and a cinnamon-like base. very rich in the nose.

taste is of heavy malts up front, mainly caramel, with a touch of chocolate and a hint of roasted. the subtle spiced character is here as well, adding a bit of contrast to the sweet malts.

mouthfeel is medium to heavy in body, with a smooth and creamy texture. an excellent doppelbock.

drinkability is great. this brew is big and bold, with a slightly warming character from the alcohol. a great winter brew. cheers!
Jan 17, 2008
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Orange foam looks a little bit odd, the body is a high-clarity dark amber with little visible carbonation. Initial head measuring 1 finger plus, but it quickly disappears.

Toasted malt and an alcohol note are all I can pick up. Not subtle, it's a little harsh.

Mild nuttiness, vinous taste but thin bodied. Light, sweet, and sort of syrupy due to low carbonation.

Glad I only had a single, it was sort of a Doppelbock-lite, more in Dunkel territory.

Paired it with Gruyere cheese and some almonds.
Jan 07, 2008
Photo of OWSLEY069
Reviewed by OWSLEY069 from Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a orange-ish/ copper color with a tan head. In the aroma, sweet roasty malt with caramel hints. In the taste, small sweet maltiness, but very watery. A small malt, mainly watery mouthfeel, and a semi dry malty aftertaste. A small caramel in the nose and some malt in the taste, but overall, very watery.
Jan 05, 2008
Photo of terrabyte
Reviewed by terrabyte from Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pours a hazy dark brown bordering on purple. Very small light-tan head.

Aroma is sweet with plums and dates. A nuttiness is trying to break through the fruit sweetness.

Flavor is a nice surprise. A wet leather bite right from the start. Sweet, tart, then sour with plum, raisins and some cranberries. As the beer warmed up, I could finally taste the boozy flavor in the aftertaste. Slighltgy boozy, but not warming.

Mouthful is creamy and sticky. A tart bite and carbonation adds to it all. Slightly boozy, which is surprising from the low ABV.

Drinkability is decent. It's interesting enough to enjoy, but eventually I found the sweetness to be too much. Sweet tooth's should be just fine. A nice affordable doppelbock, although I feel like it's just a bit fake.
Feb 04, 2007
Photo of keoki182
Reviewed by keoki182 from Wisconsin

3.76/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This was a much different doppelbock than I’ve had before. I suppose I can only compare it to Leinie’s Big Butt, which isn’t as close to the style as Tyranena’s fine offering. When I tested the aroma of the beer, I detected that familiar roasted/nutty scent that I am so used to when drinking many brown ales and porters. Hints of caramel, chocolate, and coffee made their presence known to my olfactory senses. The pour was dark and hearty, as a winter seasonal should be. The body was deep brown with a dark tan head. When I held the beer up to a light, the body appeared a translucent medium brown. The sweetish aroma was offset by the flavor: a sort of sour hazelnut taste. This sounds terrible, but it really is the best way to describe a unique and surprisingly pleasant taste. Overall, this was a smooth drinking beer that is hearty enough to serve as a light snack before a good old Wisconsin Friday fish fry.
Jul 15, 2006
Photo of Golden2wenty1
Reviewed by Golden2wenty1 from Wisconsin

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a single at Steve's on University here in Madison.

Pours a rusty mahogany with a finger of khaki head. Nose is a little funky and vegetal, sour grain, slightly nutty. Taste maintains the vegetable sourness, a bit of medicianal astringency, and a hint of caramel malt. Mouthfeel is average for a doppel. Wasn't too impressed with this one. I sort of get the trail mix analogy, but this mix has gone bad and is dominated by off-flavors.
Dec 31, 2005
Photo of battlekow
Reviewed by battlekow from Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Shantytown Doppelbock is trail mix in a bottle--TheLongBeachBum really nailed it. It's got the slightly stale chocolate, sour raisins, and nutty undertones, plus caramel and toffee. Exceedingly drinkable. Not exactly your typical doppelbock--which, in my opinion, is a good thing--but a really wonderful little surprise.
Dec 16, 2005
Photo of BeerBuilder
Reviewed by BeerBuilder from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours brown with an orangish tinge when held to the light. It forms an off-white head that quickly diminishes. The aroma is bready and chocolatey with a slight fruitiness. The flavor is malty, bready, and chocolate with a dark fruit taste. This was a tasty medium bodied brew. My first from Tyranena; I’d definitely like to sample more.

Sampled 5/17/04
Aug 06, 2004
Photo of TheLongBeachBum
Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Presentation: 12 ounce rather squat brown glass bottle. Neck label is generic in presentation and has a date of ‘06NOV03’ on it in black dot matrix print. The main label lists the beer as ‘ShantyTown Doppelbock’ and has a picture of many temporary shacks sat on a frozen lake covering which together form shanty-towns. Lots of marketing blurb to the left of the label and a simpler explanation to the right “Shantytown Doppelbock is brewed in the style of a German String Doppelbock. Brown in color with malty sweetness and a full body”. No listed strength, rather annoyingly.

Appearance: Darkish brown cum Chestnut color with light ruby hints when held to the light. Clear body, with a thin, but wholesome covering of well-compacted small light tan bubbles that form a smooth looking head.

Nose: This is a Trekkers Mix of smells. Open the bag and it has Nuts, Berries, Dried Bananas, Raisins, Peanuts, Currants and Bird Seeds. In addition it has a healthy dose of caramel malt and some dark fruits, with a sour-sharpness in the back end.

Taste: Malty start with an early sweetness in the initial third which suddenly explodes into a sour red Flemish middle and a lingering sour brown back end. Not your usual Doppelbock for sure. The finish has a gorgeous sour Red feel which I do not feel is intentional somehow: that said, this is nothing bad at all, in fact if anything, it really adds a complex and attractive dimension to the whole experience for me, especially as I am a fan of this style. The sourness in this Doppelbock maybe shouldn’t be there (?), but it is certainly not amiss. Perhaps it’s the age of the beer, who knows? Yet somehow, like inverted nipples, it intrigues me and doesn’t bother me that much, I just want to drink (and play with) it just that bit more. Intriguing!!

Mouthfeel: The Sweet-Sour tastes are fascinating; it builds a rather wholesome feel set against the caramel malts and nutty middle. The decent carbonation also adds body. Like sour cream, it is smooth yet sharp.

Drinkability: I liked the juxta-posed “Sweet Nut Brown meets Sour Flemish Red in Road Accident – Neither Wore Seatbelts - No Survivors!!!” feel to this one. As I have a taste for beers with a slight sour feel, it did not worry me at all, as I said before, it actually added to the whole experience and resulted in at least an extra 0.5 to the Drinkability if this "sourness" had not been there, especially as I am no fan of sweet beers.

Overall: Maybe suffering a little from age, yet in this case it is one of those instances when it develops an interesting nuance that is maybe a bonus. I think so! Yet again, a chance to sample another beer from Tyranena Brewing - which is never a disappointing experience! Thanks to "Joe of the Minneapolis" for this one!
May 20, 2004
Photo of grynder33
Reviewed by grynder33 from Wisconsin

3.72/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Slight malty bready aroma, amber brown color, quick disappearing head, full malt raisin taste, but it thins out quickly in the mouth. Sweetness lingers nicely on the tongue, sweet and brisk the way a good doppel should be. Just a little to thin to be considered amongst the best.
Apr 02, 2004
Shantytown Doppelbock from Tyranena Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 26 ratings