Clodhopper
Driftwood Brewery

 

 

650ml into a stemless wineglass
A: hazy beer-bottle brown
S: mostly malt with some spice/clove/pepper, currants, melon, pine; dark (but not too dark) fruitcake
T: clean, nicely balanced from beginning to end; just enough bitterness to keep the malt in check and have a taste that is lean and focused not fat and sticky; no alcoholic heat. Not a big tasting beer to bowl you over but rather a nice mellow rich beer.
M: medium bodied.
O: I'm not sure when this would ever be my beer of choice. I guess if I was just looking for a simple mellow beer to drink on its own. There's very little bitterness so it's not going to cut through fatty rich foods and the flavours aren't very complex so you're not going to compare/contrast easily. Good beer for a foggy autumn night.

Appearance. Pours a rich looking amber-brown with over a finger of off white head.

Smell. Sweet caramel and brown sugar, a bit of bruised banana, and spicy Belgian yeast.

Taste. Caramel again with that spicy Belgian yeast and light nuttiness.

Mouthfeel. Medium+ body, below medium carbonation.

Overall. A good example of the style though nothing too exciting going on..

 

650ml bomber poured into tulip 24/8/13

A dark maroon liquid with enough clarity to see bubbles streaming up the side feeding a finger of foam that leaves a single partial ring of lace, second pour give me a solid two fingers with lots of random lace deep down the glass

S brown sugar and spice, plum, raisin, leather, yeast, gingerbread, and nutty hard toffee

T the nutty hard toffees a little stronger then the nose and slightly more spice, brown sugars a little burnt but it mimics the smell other then that

M silky upon entry and almost creams up, lighter side of medium with sugar and spice on the finish

O solid beer but not up there with the Belgian classics, well worth trying and very easy to drink with no booze at any point

I don't think I did this one any favors dumping it in my glass right out of the fridge. I'd sit on a bottle if you have one and see how the flavors mesh together, the booze is already completely gone. yet another respectable beer from Driftwood

 

 

Driftwood Brewing 'Clodhopper' a local malt Dubbel @ 7.0% , served from a 650 ml bottle purchased for $7.25

A-pour is dark amber with some ruby red shining thru with a medium size tan/off white head which is leaving a spotty lace along the goblet

S-sweet mix of clove and toffee

T-interesting start , sweet malty middle , tart finish

MF-medium carbonation , a bit fuller body , nice on the palate

Ov-spicey Dubbel , good beer ,

prost LampertLand

 

A: Deep amber/chestnut, off-white head, good retention & lace.

S: Light spicing with a hint of fruit & sweet caramel.

T: Light phenolic spicing, sweet caramel, hints of roasted nut and sweet fruit, modest bitterness, alcohol is very well-hidden.

M: Moderate body with an off-dry finish.

O: I like my dubbels fruity, but this one leans towards the spice.

 

A: Variable bubbles of white head - just a minimal foam clings to the edges after the initial pour. Clear chestnut with a red shine, a solid looking brew reminiscent of dark wood.

S: Sweet malts, caramelized bananas with dark dried fruits. Bread yeasts and a boozy finish - just like a Belgian. Not especially powerful in the aroma, subtle and almost shy.

T: Sweetness of dark fruits cherries, plums and raisins, molasses and honey chased by Belgian yeasts and dark breads, followed up with a solid boozy presences. A spiciness of cloves and pepper contrasting the dark fruits.

M: Snappy carbonation on the front of the tongue, washes back a little thin. Alcohol esters bloom to wrap the palate in a warming breath. Love the alcohol esters especially, the thin mouth feel is almost overshadowed by the rummy alcohol esters.

O: A Solid Dubble that offers a sophisticated sweet alcohol warming glow for Belgian beer lovers. Plenty of flavour to enjoy, and a somewhat understated scent. A delicious solid offering to sip and enjoy.

 

Poured from a 650ml bottle. Pours a super clear reddish brown. Gorgeous colour. There are all kinds of delicious sweet malt notes on the nose, with banana, chocolate and spice dominating. The taste is like a classic Belgian abbey ale: sweet, spicy and malty. The creamy mouthfeel makes this a really quaffable high-gravity brew. Tasty.

 

650 ml bomber poured into a St. Bernardus chalice.

A: Uniform deep ruby. One finger of off-white head that leaves scant lacing; dissipation on the quicker side but still gradual. Very appealing.

S: My nose might not have been in gear tonight but the smell was very subtle, i.e. hard to detect. The dominant note was that peppery Belgian yeast smell with barely noticeable sweet fruits. Nice, but could be a bit more potent.

T: Spicy and peppery but with a touch of sweetness - a bit of fruit, a bit of bready malt, a hint of booze. To me, this is textbook dubbel that competes with anything the Trappists, Unibroue, or Ommegang is doing. Outstanding.

M: Starts with a light touch of astringency, is soft and smooth in the mouth, the finish slips away gently leaving just a memory of bitterness. Moderately carbonated - pleasant.

O: A few skeptics in the forum were suspicious of whether this beer is worth buying and trying; I know the last dubbel Driftwood made was one of their worse-received beers. Clodhoppper, however, is a different animal. It is supremely balanced and drinkable (great job on the alcohol concealment) without sacrificing any flavour.

A: 1/2" cream coloured head that dissipated quickly over a deep mahogany liquid.

S: Plums, pears, cloves.

T: Plums, pears, cloves, alcohol and biscuit malt.

M: Medium viscosity and carbonation. Some drying from the alcohol, but the yeast is surprisingly smooth.

O: Smooth and tasty. It is very similar to Chimay Blue in terms of yeast flavours and I wouldn't be surprised if they used the Wyeast 1214 or the White Labs WLP500 Chimay yeast strain.