The Lewbricator
Kalona Brewing Company

Opaque dark, no foam, low carbonation. Very malty ! Don't recall much hopiness but alcohol was noticeable, no overly so but I could feel it. This was enjoyable. Was quite tired and had it with a meal yesterday, so not the most complete review notes. I will revisit some day if I see this in the store.

 

Dark ruby with decent fizz and minimal head typical for the style.

Smells sweet and smooth, very malty. Pretty typical for the style but lacking the sort of complexity found in exemplary iterations.

Tastes... okay, maybe a bit too sweet. Smooth malt up front and some cloying tang on the finish.

Best before June 10th 2017.

A: Non see through muddy brown, a vigorous pour and there's an inch of quickly receding tan head of foam.

S: Smells of caramel malt, chocolate, grain and booze.

T: Tasty job with the malt. Sweet and some grainy roasty notes, semi sweet chocolate, and the booze.

M: On the lower end of medium bodied with light carbonation.

O: Tasty but the alcohol could have been less noticeable, I reckon, to boost drinkability.

 

I am at the Kalona Brewery where this beauty is made. I initially got it as part of a seasonal flight but liked it so much I followed with a pint of it. Smallish head. Opaque dark brown (it is kinda dark in here). Toasty toffee aromas. Flavor is toffee and milk chocolate. 7.5% but it seems way lighter. Don't underestimate it though, that would be a mistake. I could drink this year round in any weather, but winter time in Iowa does seem the best time.

12oz can. Poured out a clear, burgundy color with a small head of tan foam. It smelled sweet and malt with some mild floral notes. It was malty and very sweet with a strong caramel and toffee presence. Very little hop bitterness at all.

 

Can obtained in a trade. I've seen very few canned Doppelbocks and, since I strongly prefer cans, glad to see a new one (to me) is being packaged. The beer pours a dark amber with strong caramel/chocolate aromas.. Taste is rich with caramel and malt flavors - a somewhat roasty combination. Seems sweeter than other doppelbocks I've tasted. The 7.5% ABV rears its head rather quickly but not to a problematic extent. I enjoyed this product and would purchase it if in an area where it's available. Doubt that a small Iowa brewery will be shipping to the Northeast in the near future but maybe I'll find another trade opportunity.

L-Dark brown with ruby highlights...no head

S-Malty...dark fruits...caramel....brown sugar..no wheat notes

T-Nothing wheaty here either...just straight sticky, somewhat worty like maltiness....again dark fruits and caramel...

F-Barely carbonated and drinks easy despite the sweeter flavor. Body on the low side of medium.

O-Decent enough beer. Bump up the carbonation a little and scores likely move up in several categories. As is, nothing off to this, just nothing real impressive either.

 

 

Poured from 12oz can into my Val-Dieu tulip.

Appearance: extremely rich, dark brown hue that shows an amber color when held up to the light. There's no haze and a moderate effervescence. Quite attractive!

Smell: sweet and malty, as one would expect. Not complex, but it's got a nice deep character that I like.

Taste: rich and sweet malt with a nice caramel character. Again, not especially complex, but deep and pretty satisfying.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a moderate carbonation and decent creaminess. It has less body than I would have predicted, but it does have a good smoothness despite its moderate carbonation.

Overall: quite drinkable. It doesn't have a whole ton of character, but overall it's totally respectable.

 

 

 

Not very familiar with this style. Mine poured a very deep head. Dark color. You can taste the alcohol. Lots going on in this beer. Caramel, sweet, rich flavor with the alcohol backing it up. I'll need to find more out about this style. Personally loved it, one of my favorite in-state beers.

 

Sampling right now on 5/14/15. Comes in a 12 ounce can from the Kalona Brewing Company in Kalona, Iowa, their "LEWBRICATOR" contains 7.5% alcohol (ABV). Can chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a vintage "Michelob Special Ales & Lagers" pilsner glass.

Brew pours a deep mahogany in color with really no head to speak of. Pretty much is said for the lacing, very spotty at best. The aroma has a lot going on with sweet roasted malts, caramel with a hint of spice. The taste is about the same with moderate sweetness with a hint of yeast and toffee even in the mix. Taste is pretty smooth for the most part with just a very light bitter finish that lasts like 2 seconds, probably due to the higher alcohol content. Medium-bodied with perfect carbonation. Overall, it isn't a chugging type of a brew but more of a sipping kind. A very decent brew.