Dopple Alt
Raccoon River Brewing Company

Dark reddish brown when held up to the fading light outside Raccoon River's front window, candied cherry red when held up to the flickering candle in the center of the bar table. Sheer sheets of lace were intact initially and then began to shred as they lost contact with the deflating cap of beige foam. A good altbier look.

The nose was lightly caramel malty and a trifle dark fruity, akin to a caramel apple in some respects. I'm not overly happy with that comparison, but it'll have to do. More power would have provided more enjoyment.

I could very easily repeat that last sentence when describing the flavor. Dopple Alt was nothing if not a kinder, gentler ale. I'm of the 'bigger the better' school, but I think most would agree that this beer would benefit by more completely engaging the taste buds. For starters, it didn't have enough malt to be a dopple anything.

The flavor profile consisted of 'brown' malt, apple butter and mild cocoa powder notes. There was an excellent sweet-bitter balance with an increasingly bitter, dry finish. A little spiciness from hops or yeast would have helped, although none was present.

Like every other attribute, the mouthfeel was decidedly light. That wasn't really problematic since it held up well throughout each mouthful and for the life of the pint. I'm also thankful that the carbonation was soft and subdued rather than overly fizzy. The combination worked well even if it wasn't a feast for the senses.

Dopple Alt is nowhere near the masterpiece that is Uerige Doppelsticke, but then I knew that going in. It's a light, uncluttered, uncomplicated beer that would probably disappear altogether if paired with any sort of food. Having said that, it was still a well-crafted beer and was enjoyable in its own way.