Saxonator
Jack's Abby Brewing

 

 

 

Poured on tap at the brewery.

Pours a clear mahogany color with a half-finger of off-white head. The head has solid retention, leaving minimal lacing before settling into a thin ring.

The aroma brings a wave of dark fruits and roasted nuts, as well as some caramel, toffee, and sweet dough.

The flavor is quite sweet, bringing notes of plum, fig, and caramel, as well as brown sugar, raisin bread, and toffee. Finishes with the faintest kiss of hops.

The feel is medium bodied with pretty good carbonation. Lots of warming from the alcohol and a tad sticky.

Overall, a pretty solid doppelbock that's a bit on the sweet side, and a bit too boozy, but overall not bad.

 

 

 

This was poured into a pilsener glass. The appearance was a mostly dark brown color with a foamy rocky off white head that hangs around for a good minute and a half. The smell takes on a ton of dark fruit, clingy to roasty to sweet bready/yeasty content rolling on into a sticky malt character. The taste was moderately smooth and sweet with the sticky malt character bleeding nicely on into the entire flavor. On the palate, this one sat about a medium in body with a fair sessionable to smooth sipping quality about it. Carbonation feels fairly light. Overall, as a doppelbock, it definitely works.

On-tap @ As Is in NYC. Notes from 3/22/2017.

Ruby-brown color that was light than anticipated. Clear body with a thick tan head. Bready malt aroma with a fruitiness that cannot be ignored. Caramel, plum, and chocolate. There's a light sweetness to the flavor but it's subtle and smooth. Medium bodied, chewy, and a bit warming. A nice dopplebock that doesn't copy its German counterparts but represents a fine example of the style.

 

 

Appearance - Pours dark mahogany brown huge fluffy tan head with very spotty lacing.

Aroma - Roasted malts, plum, caramel, figs. Slightly nutty.

Taste - Dark fruit, malts, caramel, tobacco, very mild alcohol. Hint of bitterness.

Feel - Medium body, good carbonation. Slightly warming from the alcohol, very smooth.

Overall - The flavors are amazing, great dark fruit and roasted malts. The alcohol is not overly noticeable. A very solid beer.

Always love me some Doppelbock this time of year.

A mountain of thick, tan froth rises from this dark brown and crimson brew.

Aroma is slightly metallic with nut up front* and grain, prune and plum in the background.

So sweet with caramel, burnt sugar and molasses. Never cloying. More dark fruits in the middle with faint nut and spice following. There's some brown bread too.

Medium in body with a discreet alcohol heat.

A complex Doppelbock that suits me damn fine.

* That's what she said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got in a BIF from tasterschoice62. 500 ml bottle into tulip glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly cloudy deep ruby red/brown color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, light coffee, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, light coffee, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and roast bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, chocolate, cocoa, light coffee, raisin, plum, fig, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Damn nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly grainy/sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a light warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent doppelbock style! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt, dark fruit, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. This has very prominent roasted flavors of a Schwarzbier along with with the dryness; but still has balanced doppelbock malty/fruity complexity as well. A very enjoyable hybrid of the two styles.

 

Look: Translucent raisin brown with a mocha head. Moderate activity.

Smell: Big sticky bread malt, dark pitted fruit, roasted nuts, warm vanilla, light smoke, and more fruity malt
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Taste: A big rush of raisin bread covers the palate. Notes of fig jam, slightly bitter roasted nuts, warm vanilla, spiced rum, and a earthy hop finish.

Feel: Big and chewy. The old adage liquid bread was made for beers like this. There is a warming booze on the finish.

Overall: Everything a doppelbock is good for. Big, meaty, and complex flavors. I really enjoyed this brew. Perfectly paired with these cold wet New England springs. Jacks Abby nailed this one.

 

2015 Vintage
1 year since bottling date

Appearance- Reddish brown, mahogany color, brighter orangish hues. Transparent w/ slow rising carbonation bubbles. Finger thick, pillowy and creamy head, off white colored. Moderate lacing on glass.

Aroma- Rich dark fruits, figs, raisins, grape and plum. Rich malty sweetness, caramelized sugars, toasty breadiness, slight toffee.

Taste- Malt sweetness, toasted bread, rich sugars. Dark fruits, figgy sweetness, raisins, plums, and grapes. Smooth, creamy toffee notes.

Feel- Medium feel, has a certain thickness, very smooth. Moderate carbonation.

Overall- Rich and sweet in flavor, enhanced by a wonderful smooth creaminess. Beer has aged very well, no signs of falling off. There still exists a bold richness, while possessing a certain refined character.

 

 

 

 

On-tap 3/11/2016 at Doherty’s Ale House in Warwick, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep dark brown color, with a large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains dark fruit, licorice, chocolate, lager yeast and roasted malts.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of chocolate, dark fruit and licorice. Then a strong breadiness comes in from a hearty roasted malt character and lager yeast. There’s a touch of smokiness in the background. The hops presence is very mild but complementary and provides a very good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean for the style.

O: Very tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, very good representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

 

Poured from bottle 1-22-15 into the modified tulip glass.
A - Gorgeous dark ruby hue, lager streaming carbonation supports a brite cap.
Lacing clings with each pull.
S - Roast malts, caramel, a bit of smoke, and hints from noble hops.
T - A bit of dark spice, anise, roast meat, dark brown sugar.
M - Medium in body, well carbonated, with a quick clean up.
O - A nice example of the style, a touch of sweetness but not out of balance.
Cheers

 

 

 

Great doppelbock!