Sympator
Würzburger Hofbräu AG

Purchased from the Beers of Europe, a quality online beer shop in the UK. BB 25/10/08, served chilled in a large weizen glass.

A: pours a dark chest-brown colour, the beige pillowy head builds up slowly and sustains well, on top of elegant, moderate carbonation.
S: the aroma is predominantly malty - chestnutty, caramely and syrupy but not overpowering, decorated with secondary layers of red-date jam, ripe plums, and an underlying flow of focused sourness of a well-lagered bier. The gristy nuttiness from dark malts is especially enticing~~
T: chestnutty and caramely malty (exactly as what's expected from the aroma) upfront, followed by an integrated fruity flavour of jammy red dates, black cherries, some longan-fruits and apricots, leading towards a mildly salty-sweet and estery yeasty finish like Chinese red-bean paste (almost like that of a Belgian Dubbel!), while a fine touch of hop bitterness and more rich toasted-maltiness true to a Bock linger in the end of tasting...
M&D: really soothing and yet refreshing, showing a fine texture full of microscopic carbonation; it is full-bodied, but just goes down too smoothly and lightly that it's deceptively drinkable. The flavour profile demonstrates a beautiful balance - robustly malty and fruity with a sound sour touch - that I feel so lucky to have come across amongst only a few doppelbocks I've had. I thoroughly agree with the first reviewer of this beer, that one bottle is definitely not enough for the night!! Highly recommended.

50cl bottle poured into my Paulaner Seidel.

As the previous reviewer said - Genuss in Vollendung - indulgence in perfection - a fantastic phrase for a tasty nourishing doppelbock

A- dark ruby red, 3 finger rocky head, that disspates to 1 finger but leaves good lacing. very appetising

S- lots of lovely sweet munich malts, no hop profile, some roasted malt dunkel qualities, faint nuttiness in the finish. Perhaps the only downpoint is the finish is too quick, id like the malt to linger on the tongue more.

T- very sweet up front, lots of lovely malts, some cherries and dark fruit., slightly nutty in finish

M- full, nourishing, medium carbonation.

D- very enjoyable after a cold day, warmed me up a treated, a solid malty tasty doppelbock and easily quaffable. Just finishes a bit too quick on the tongue, but still great
Prosit!

50cL brown bottle from Würzburg, Bavaria, brought over by a friend who lives there. Mindestens haltbar bis 22.12.06. Würzburger Hofbräu's motto: Genuss in Vollendung - Indulgence in Perfection. I'm excited about this one...

Appearance: Poured into a Tripel Karmeliet glass because an Aventinus glass wasn't available. Black body turning yellow-amber at the sides, with a creamy light tan head. Low-moderate head retention, fine bubbles and a high degree of carbonation. This looks divine, and it's just what I feel like.

Smell: Berries: blackberry, boysenberry, even strawberry; toffee, cane sugar and hardwood. Served at around 6-8 degrees, any warmer would release more rich scents but would make it less refreshing to drink. A nice profile of aromas.

Taste: A slightly harsh sugar taste on the palate, quite caramelly, makes the first appearance. Warm, drying alcohol on the front of the tongue and a mild maltiness on the sides. Hop bitterness, now that I'm looking for it, has appeared on the palate as well, but it's really nicely blended in and balanced. This beer is not overly complicated, but it's warming, sweet, woody and pleasantly numbing, which is what I expect from a doppelbock. More importantly, it's not unbalanced - the alcohol is kept in check and nothing is too glaringly obvious, like too-bitter hops or too-chewy malt might be. A nice wildberry flavour in the mouth generally. I like this beer, a pity it's near-impossible to get. I'll ask Nina to bring me a case next time she comes to Australia!

Mouthfeel: Smooth and delicate but the bubbles make it a bit interesting. Definitely not out of proportion, fun to drink.

Drinkability: It's probably a good thing I don't have more of these, because I want more now, and I've got a chemistry exam in a few days. I'm not overly fond of doppelbocks but I could drink this all night without question.

Overall: What a luxury to enjoy a great beer nobody's reviewed here yet. I remember drinking Julius Echter in Würzburg a few years ago, but don't think I came across this one. This beer has rekindled my interest in doppelbocks, I'm going to buy a pile for concerted tasting next time I'm visiting a decent bottle shop. I'm impressed with this and disappointed it's not more widely available. Würzburg is really famous for its wine, and deserves to have its beer recognised too. Three cheers for Sympator!