Mamba
Pivovar Svatý Ján
- From:
- Pivovar Svatý Ján
- Czechia
- Style:
- Doppelbock
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- +9 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.3 | pDev: 0%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Jul 04, 2014
- Added:
- Jul 04, 2014
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
3.3/5 rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.3/5 rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
“Mamba.” Quadruple Bock. 2012 vintage. Pivovar Svanty Jan. pivovarek.cz. 12% ABV. .25l balsamic vinegar-esque brown glass bottle with plastic wrap over a gold screw-top acquired at Base Camp in Prague and served into a dimpled mug in Vienna. Reviewed June 15th, 2014. Expectations are average. The bottle design is wonderful. BB: 30.06.14.
Served chilled. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
No bubble show forms as it’s poured.
HEAD: No head forms at all, and there’s no lacing.
BODY: Dark brown colour with some reddish hues. Nontransparent. Kind of translucent. A bit dull, actually. No floating yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
It’s looking pretty plain. I’ve never had an (alleged) quadruple bock before, but even compared to triple bocks and doppelbocks it’s not anything impressive. But it’s not syrupy or viscous like something like Sam Adams Utopias. I’m beginning to think this is just a high-strength gimmick beer.
AROMA: Raisin, dark malts, prune, maybe dates, caramel, heavy malt sweetness, some apple cidre/apple juice, and maybe plum wine. The alcohol doesn’t come through as much as it could considering it’s 12% ABV.
It’s a pleasant aroma of moderate strength, and seems more on par with something like a plum wine than a beer – even if we’re talking about triple bocks and doppelbocks.
No yeast character or hop character is detectable. I don’t find any overt off-notes.
I expected a maltier aroma, but this isn’t bad. I’m still worried this is just a gimmick beer.
TASTE: Tastes much more like apple juice/cidre than the aroma suggested. I anticipated a malty beer, but while this has a malty foundation, the fruity notes overwhelm it. Dates, prunes, plum, and above all else the aforementioned apple.
There’s no yeast character or hop character here, nor are there any overt off-notes.
It’s pretty simple, though, and doesn’t have much depth or complexity of flavor. I guess it’s decently balanced, but there isn’t all that much that needs balance.
I will say it hides its alcohol well and I do like it, though admittedly it’s a sipper.
I expected more intensity given the alleged style. It’s fairly mellow, which is a pleasant surprise. Duration of flavor is above average.
TEXTURE: Perfectly carbonated, but unnecessarily astringent. Lightly coarse and dry. Approachable. Thankfully, it avoids booziness and heat. This texture suits the flavor profile and the style they’re after pretty well, but I’d like to see the astringency and light coarseness/dryness removed. The dryness almost evokes a vinous feel.
Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, or harsh.
OVERALL: It’s a sipper, sure, but I expected a booze-bomb with overwhelming intensity and to its credit it’s much more mellow than that. I wouldn’t buy it again, and it’s quite pricey by Czech standards, but it avoids being too much of a gimmick.
Worth trying if you’re into plum-heavy doppelbocks or if you’re one of the minority defenders of aged Sam Adams Triple Bock, but I can’t recommend it. I’m glad I tried it, but quadruple bock is not a style we need in the world in my opinion.
Low B-
Jul 04, 2014Served chilled. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.
No bubble show forms as it’s poured.
HEAD: No head forms at all, and there’s no lacing.
BODY: Dark brown colour with some reddish hues. Nontransparent. Kind of translucent. A bit dull, actually. No floating yeast particulate or hop sediment is visible.
It’s looking pretty plain. I’ve never had an (alleged) quadruple bock before, but even compared to triple bocks and doppelbocks it’s not anything impressive. But it’s not syrupy or viscous like something like Sam Adams Utopias. I’m beginning to think this is just a high-strength gimmick beer.
AROMA: Raisin, dark malts, prune, maybe dates, caramel, heavy malt sweetness, some apple cidre/apple juice, and maybe plum wine. The alcohol doesn’t come through as much as it could considering it’s 12% ABV.
It’s a pleasant aroma of moderate strength, and seems more on par with something like a plum wine than a beer – even if we’re talking about triple bocks and doppelbocks.
No yeast character or hop character is detectable. I don’t find any overt off-notes.
I expected a maltier aroma, but this isn’t bad. I’m still worried this is just a gimmick beer.
TASTE: Tastes much more like apple juice/cidre than the aroma suggested. I anticipated a malty beer, but while this has a malty foundation, the fruity notes overwhelm it. Dates, prunes, plum, and above all else the aforementioned apple.
There’s no yeast character or hop character here, nor are there any overt off-notes.
It’s pretty simple, though, and doesn’t have much depth or complexity of flavor. I guess it’s decently balanced, but there isn’t all that much that needs balance.
I will say it hides its alcohol well and I do like it, though admittedly it’s a sipper.
I expected more intensity given the alleged style. It’s fairly mellow, which is a pleasant surprise. Duration of flavor is above average.
TEXTURE: Perfectly carbonated, but unnecessarily astringent. Lightly coarse and dry. Approachable. Thankfully, it avoids booziness and heat. This texture suits the flavor profile and the style they’re after pretty well, but I’d like to see the astringency and light coarseness/dryness removed. The dryness almost evokes a vinous feel.
Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, or harsh.
OVERALL: It’s a sipper, sure, but I expected a booze-bomb with overwhelming intensity and to its credit it’s much more mellow than that. I wouldn’t buy it again, and it’s quite pricey by Czech standards, but it avoids being too much of a gimmick.
Worth trying if you’re into plum-heavy doppelbocks or if you’re one of the minority defenders of aged Sam Adams Triple Bock, but I can’t recommend it. I’m glad I tried it, but quadruple bock is not a style we need in the world in my opinion.
Low B-
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