Wintergreen Hibernator Doppelbock
Blue Mountain Brewery

 

 

I love me some dopplebocks!

 

Sweet, malty, bready aroma. Deep, golden brown color with average head and lacing. Big, malt forward beer, with light hop balance and a clean, sweet malt finish...

 

 

 

 

 

Served on-tap at Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, VA

A: Pours a slightly murky medium to dark brown in color with some reddish brown highlights and light to moderate amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall foamy beige head that slowly reduces to a very thin film covering about half the surface of the beer and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of lightly toasted malts with a hint of toffee sweetness along with some lightly herbal and earthy hops. There are light to moderate aromas of nuttiness as well.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of nutty malts along with some slightly lighter toasted and toffee malts - light amounts of sweetness from the malts is present. There is a light presence of herbal and earthy hops but they impart very little bitterness to this brew. Overall this is just slightly sweet.

M: Medium bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: A decent though not exceptional example of the style but definitely a beer that was easy to enjoy and one I would have again. I like the addition of the nutty flavors and aroma that are not typical for the style and it is slightly on the sweet side for my palate.

 

Growler from 3/11, opened on 3/13.

A - Pours a very dark brown with a thick, bubbly tan head. The head recedes to a thin layer. Ok lacing.

S - Nice thick roasted malts, with a faint hint of hops. A little earthy/nutty in the nose.

T - Nice malty and nutty flavors. Slightly roasted. A bit bready/biscuity. A very nice example of the style.

M - A little thinner than medium bodied. Ok carbonation. A little bit of alcohol heat.

O - A solid doppelbock, nothing amazing but a good brew to enjoy while it's available.

Served on-tap in a tall goblet at Blue Mountain Brewery (Afton, VA).

A: Chestnut brown with 1/2 finger cap of beige, tightly bubbled head with spotty lacing.

S: Faintly nutty odor with caramel and mild herbal hops

T: The nutty character is striking at first but then eventually mellows into the caramelly malt sweetness. The hopping is earthy and herbal with a few floral notes. The malt component is firm and not overly sweet.

M: Silky smooth creamy feel with medium body.

O: The nutty character is a little different for the style but the light caramel maltiness is very enjoyable. Solid job by BMB yet again.

 

 

a: shaker pint serving, the beer is a deep mahogany brown in color, some purplish tones in the fairly dim barlight, topped with a thin layer of carbonation

s: tree fruits on a toasty malt base - plum and raisin evident, red apple, dark sugars, slight breadiness, lightly hopped with a grassy, spicy essence

m: carbonation smooth, light-moderate, with a body that's satisfyingly heavy but not overweight

t: malty body of dark tree fruits and toasty malts, plum, raisin, on the sweet end but with enough toast and grassy hop character to balance things out a bit

d: no problems here, not exceptional but a very solid doppelbock from the peeps out west

shared pitcher at Galaxy Hut

On tap at Blue Mountain Brewery.

A: Pours a crystal clear red tinged (though light) copper. Decent head--about a finger--with good retention and nice lacing.

S: Spicy. Smells slightly of banana bread--the yeast and malt notes are quite apparent here. There's also a bit of a sweet scent--caramel?

T: Quite bready in the taste as well. Heavy cloves and quite spicy. A significant amount of alcohol.

M: Goes down very smooth, with decent carbonation. The warmth stops it from getting a higher rating, here.

D: Not wonderful--but certainly not bad! The ABV really comes through on this one which makes it harder to finish with lunch.

A: Rich and deep coppery amber with some soft red highlights. Head forms beautifully into a finger+ of bubbly froth.

S: Plenty of big fruity aromas whafting from it... Lots of raisin and sugary caramel. Reminds me of a buttertart. Some breadiness that gives it a fruitcake quality. Very nice.

T: A nice and rich maltiness, with just a little splash of hop bitterness peeking through the sweet flavours. Some dark fruit notes - raisin, plum, and date are detected, and a little spice of alcohol

M: Pretty big and chewy. Carbonation is moderate, with a slick, residual finish. A little warming of alcohol finishes up and it leaves a little bit of a lingering flavour.

D: Not incredibly massive in alcohol (Taylor mentions that the gravity fell a little short) but it's a very nicely done doppelbock, and perhaps among my favourites from the brewery to date.

On tap at Blue Mountain Brewery's tasting room. 30 IBUs, 7.1% abv. Served in a fitted pint glass.

Appearance: A great ruby-brown body with a one-finger snow white head of good retention that leaves creamy, sticky lacing as it recedes. A sheen of snow if left upon the surface of this one - all in all, fitting for both the style and the season.

Aroma: Barebones here. Fruity, apples, tons of pear, and faintly sweet notes. As it warms, more fructose overtones emerge, and it becomes much nicer. Let this one warm, definitely.

Taste: Very mellow and sweet. Gummy bears, toast, and maple syrup, accompanied by a light hop bitterness, very noble in character, spicy and grassy. Some other faint fruit notes emerge as it warms further - Concord grapes, raisin perhaps. All very subtle and well-blended.

Mouthfeel: Amazingly smooth and creamy, medium-bodied, big and bold in places while still being light and delicate in most where it matters. A treat.

Drinkability: My notes simply say "great" here, so let me extrapolate somewhat. This one's pretty good, and a great holiday seasonal. While it's definitely not my favorite from Blue Mountain (and please don't ask me to determine which my favorite from Blue Mountain would have to be - that would just be cruel), it's a solid, solid doppelbock-esque beer, and well worth a try.