Rudolf Ren Ale (2010)
Dugges Ale- & Porterbryggeri AB

Sample from bottle, Copenhagen Beer Festival. Hazy brown colour. Fruity aroma with notes of mild spices. The smooth and mellow flavour has also notes of fresh and dried fruits and mild spices, with a decent maltiness, while it is very lightly hopped. Maybe not a "big" beer, but truly enjoyable to drink, and definitely one I will buy next Christmas if I can find it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just when most of the kids are thinking milk and cookies, the malt-lovin' kids in us seek those flavors in a more "feel good" manner. Dugges' head reindeer delivers the chocolaty gift in his Rudolf namesake.

Easily mistaken for porter, Rudolf pours with a dark brown color that's reminiscent of weathered tree bark. Its largely opaque appearance shows off its unfiltered nature, allowing slim tawny light around the edges. A release of foam yields a blanket of sandy-tan foam that caps the beer and only breaks apart late in the session. Light broken lace adorns the glass and testifies to the dark ale's quality.

Bold toast, coffee, and chocolate aromas become the mainstay for the beer. Additional support from hops reveal grapefruit, wood, and pine. Mild smoked malts seem somewhat campfire-like just as a tangy vinous fruit flavor accompanies the deeper scents. Mild sprinkles of spice give a sliver of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove that can easily be attributed to yeast spices, but decorate the periphery of scent nevertheless.

And in true porter-like fashion, the rich taste of bittersweet chocolate, heavy toast, walnuts, and bold coffee all pronounce but shy away from flavors of roast or burnt wood. Smoky chocolate gives way to slight spice and cherry-like alcohols heading into finish. Starchy malts and vanilla rise as the beer warms, giving the beer richness and smoothness in taste. Partly bitter from hops, and partly from charred grain- the beer finishes with a spicy wood element that only then separates porter from winter warmer.

Semi-malty, semi-dry textures are robust early and toasty late, making a long smooth transition between. Its dryness increases as the sip extends into the gullet, revealing mild grain-derived astringency to accompany hop bitterness and alcohol warmth in finish.

Rudolf is a deeply ingrained robust porter that provided a decoration of spices that remain understated with mild nuances. It's a delicious beer that might get lost in the shuffle of so many varieties that capture a very similar taste.

 

 

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark, opaque brown with a two finger light brown head with good retention and lacing. Aroma of toasted malt, chocolate, Dark dried fruit and a hint of vanilla. Flavor is toasted and sweet caramel malt, vanilla with light chocolate and hints of cinnamon. Finish dry and bit abrupt, light lingering malt and light hops. Medium bodied with some creaminess. An interesting winter warmer without much holiday spice influence. Closest in style to a foreign export stout. Pleasant, but does not stand out as a winter warmer.

 

500ml bottle. Snifter glass. Enjoyed on jan´12. Light mahogany in color. Beige, medium bubbled head. Fairly good retention. Sweet toasted malt aromas, hints of chocolate, vanilla & cinnamon. Malty flavor with subtle spiced underneath. Medium body, medium carbonation. Dry bitter finish. Dried nuts hues.

Pours a very small layer of beige head. Color is a dark brown with a ruby highlight.

Aroma: Cherries and dark dried fruits. A lot of spices. Maybe some molasses. Lots of malts. Some caramel and chocolate.

Taste: Very sweet. A lot of cherry and chocolate flavor followed by a massive amount of spice. Pretty malty. Has a mint flavor as well. The aftertaste of syrup lingers on forever.

Mouthfeel: Spiced and dry. Medium bodied with a low to medium amount of carbonation. A little bit of booze shows.

Overall, I wasn't a big fan of this. Too much spice and a lingering aftertaste. It wasn't bad, just not for me.

Bottle. Poured into a tulip glass a dark brown caramel color with a light tan head that coasters around the glass. Swirling creates a nice coastered head. Rich aroma of caramel, spice, and dark fruit. Medium mouthfeel. Pretty sweet with lots of fruit notes and then POW! it turns a little cough syrup and "flattens" out on ya. Some roast as well. Surprisingly the alcohol shows a little more than I thought it would. I like the start but hate the finish on this one.

A - Really nice looking dark beer that is slightly red. Super aggressive pour added a nice off-white head that dissipated to a decent ring and some lace.

S - Lots of rich brown sugar and caramel malts. Some dark fruit, little yeast, and some chocolate.

T - Chocolate and caramel malts. Not tons of spice for a winter warmer. It's pretty sweet, but also tastes watery and somewhat bland. A little dark fruit in there.

M - Slightly thin, low carbonation, medium bodied.

D - It's an okay beer, although not a huge winter warmer taste for a winter warmer. Would not seek this out in any fashion.

The smell is very malty and somewhat sweet. Notes of fresh bread and a robust bitterness (with a slight off chemical flavour). Hints of raisins and dried exotic fruits. Caramel, Madeira and some prickly alcohol.

The beer got a finger thick head tat sinks quite quickly leaving some lacing and a thick ring. The colour is very dark wine-red, the liquid clear.

The taste is very malty with a gentle sweetness, it is full bodied. Notes of various spices and ripe/dried exotic fruits. Dry roasted flavours in the aftertaste blends with dried apricots, orange peels and pineapples plus a touch of chocolate bars. A powerful growing alcoholic flavour in the finish makes indeed it a real winter warmer.

The carbonation is mild, the large bubbles are fresh and gentle on the same tile. The liquid is a bit thick and sticky.

A solid English winter warmer with some modern influences.

A: This beer pours dark brown with a reddish tone. The small off-white head dissipates quickly into almost no lacings.

S: Rich chocoalty malt, sweet and roasted. Coffee and dark dried fruits.

T: Nice balanced sweet malt; the mix of roast and chocolate is great. Dark dried fruits and coffee.

M: Full bodied with moderate carbonation. Aftertaste is rich and long; chocolate and bitterness.

D: As a X-mas beer - nah!!! (in combination with Swedish salty and fat christmas food).
But as a Winter warmer, pretty nice!

The beer is dark brown, slightly clouded, the head is beige, big and firm, rather little lacing.

The smell has burned aromas, somewhat earthy, "old toaster", sweet dried fruits.

Upfront much caramel and burned bread, dates, figs, sherry and marshmallows. Nuts and bitter almonds.

Medium to low carbonation, small bubbles, soft and oily, a big body and dry finish.

A very nice "Christmas Beer", sweet and warm.

The beer is dark chestnut brown in color with a red tone. The two finder head is cream-colored with hints of brown. The head quickly fades to form a thin lid.

The smell is warm end musty. Lots of roasted malts. Sweetness from dark chocolate and butter, hints of citrus and hay. Some alcohol as well, but the musty malts is dominant.

The taste is a bit thinner than I expected, but very well balanced. The citrus and the hay comes up front and then the malts takes over. The roasted tone isn't that strong.

The balance is just great, the beer feel kind of creamy and the carbonation is low. A very pleasant beer this one.