Minnator
Utepils Brewing Co.

 

16oz can canned 12/?/22 into a tulip glass.
L: Pours clear mahogany w a 1" light khaki rounded head that has fair retention, light fine carbo to final sip, spotty sticky lacing w banding lines.
S: Rich malts, toasted grains, more earthy w warming. Quite simple.
T: Roasted toasted clean caramelized malts, plum, a hint of cocoa, raisin, moderately sweet, slightly bold, a nuanced and elegant light fruity finish, not much aftertaste beyond a subtle linger.
F: Lightly brisk then very smooth med-bodied feel, bold & rich center, med-length finish.
O: Nice & clean, malty, rich & fruity. Curiously bold with a fast finish. No alcohol detected. It is excellent in its style.

From a tallboy (last of a four-pack) into the La Fin du Monde tulip. Looks good in the glass: dark brownish copper, with a nice smooth off 2 finger white head, good lacing. Nose is a little more grainy than I expected, but also bready, some caramel -- all in all, solid and fairly sweet. Taste carries everything in the nose forward. Maybe a little honey and a little faint spice and a little dark sweet fruit. Again, on the sweeter side, for the style, but not at all cloying. Mouthful: smooth and a little thin to be ideal for the style (for me) but soft and round flavor notes, with little to no hoppy zip.

Been on a doppel kick the past month or two, including three locals -- Utepils, Lupulin, and Arbeiter. I've enjoyed them all, but this one is probably my least favorite. I think this is solid but also fairly down the middle.

 

16oz can. Can bottom is stamped 'CANNED ON: 10/18/22'.
Clear, medium amber colored body. Brief off white head, which stays around as an island and a ring. Lacing is seen as interrupted rings.
Aroma is muted, with just a bit of caramel and grass.
Taste is dark toasted malts, which are sweet, but there is also grassy hops, and some expression of prune and raisin. Touch of caramel. Dried fruit and a little dark toasted malts in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel, with some mouth coating (slight dark fruit syrup). Supportive carbonation.
Not much aroma but the flavors of prune/raisin blend well with the dark toasted sweetness of the malts.

Pours a medium-dark brown in color (maybe a “golden brown”, and a fair bit lighter than your average Schwarzbier), topped with a medium-tan head. Good duration and “Brussels” lacing.

A clean and very neutral nose. Just a touch of caramel malt, a touch of grassiness, and a touch of sweetness / sweet grass / grain. Nothing in the way of hops, and nothing is expected, but no off-notes either.

Soft, in fact VERY soft on the palate. This may be due to the age of the canning (note: I read “ed 9/21” in the bottom of the r can, so I take that as a ‘Born On Date’), and it might not lend itself to the drink if it were fresh. As it is, the softness and smoothness adds to the drinkability somewhat, even though some might find it to be “flat.”

Round mouthfeel and sweeter overall. Lighter honey-ish notes (oxidation/age) which would be distracting in higher amounts. “Malty”, of course, and while not truly one-dimensional, might lead one to considering this one as a boring “blahger.”

As it is it has aged fairly nicely, and plum and toffee notes emerge further on in the drink.

Not overly strong at 7.8% ABV, but a sipper nonetheless.

I might be a bit generous in rating it all 4s, but I will try again with a fresh batch this year, and see how it compares.

Clear ruby-brown body, nicely carbonated. A 1 to 1½ inch light tan head forms from a very gentle pour. The head is thick and creamy with very good retention. Gorgeous looking lager. Thick and attractive lacing follows the beer down as I drink.

The aroma is not very strong. I get baked bread and plums / prunes.

The initial taste is smooth and baked-bready. The fruits follow shortly, becoming more prominent in the middle. By the finish, the interplay of the bread and the prunes (perhaps raisins) is nicely balanced with both prominently displayed but neither dominating the other. Excellent flavor. There is no bitterness at all, and the finish is somewhat sweet. The aftertaste pleasantly coats my tongue. No hint of alcohol other than in the inevitable buzz.

The mouth feel is smooth and the body is a touch on the thin side of moderate.

Overall, a very good true-to-style doppelbock.

10/28/21 on bottom of can. Poured into a Shaker pint.

A: Clear dark amber with 1/2-finger off-white head with good retention and a web of lacing.

S: Bready, malty, melanoiden-rich aroma with light raisin and lighter herbal noble hop aromas.

T: Rich prune and raisin mixes with toasty melanoiden and dark bread flavors. Light herbal hop notes. Clean without esters. Alcohol is there but not obtrusive.

M: Medium body but very smooth with dry finish.

O: An exceptional example of the traditional dopplebock style. Great work Utepils.

Pours a clear dark copper color with a light tan head. Smell is baked bread dark fruits and malt. Taste has chocolate ,toffee ,caramel and hints of dark fruit . Mouth feel is smooth malty and bready , has a bit of sweetness.

Clear, dark crimson color with a finger of dense head. Bready aroma with hints of raisins, figs, or dates. Much more fruity than bready in flavor. I would of preferred it if it went the other direction. Sweet but not cloying. The body is not as big as I was expecting but it does have nice carbonation.

Nice to see another quality Minnesota made doppelbock. While I would not say it threatens Lupulin for the best Minnesota made doppel it is still a quality offering with a bready, chocolate flavor. Sweetish with caramel and toffee contributing to the flavor as well.

It lacks the melanoidins...raisins...and dark fruits of some of the top doppelbocks in the region (like New Glarus Gyrator which is hands down the best U.S. made doppel I've had.)

Nevertheless, this is a quality doppel which I would gladly purchase more of. Never feels boozy...nice creamy texture...well done.

From a 16oz can:

Appearance: Clear dark amber, huge head.

Smell: Toffee, dark fruit.

Taste: Toffee, then sweeter, I get tootsie rolls. Then as it warms up a little more dark fruit--raisin and dates. Alcohol is well hidden. Very tasty!

Overall: This double bock really impressed me. I'm a sucker for tootsie roll flavor in a beer, I loved Old Horizontal from Victory which was tootsie rolls all day, especially when aged. Hits the spot for me in a double bock, sweet but not too sweet, not too boozy.

 

Look: transparent dark amber( brownish) body. decent off white head that lasts a while leaving some lacing.
Smell: sweet bread and burnt caramel, I can't smell much today
Taste: caramel/Toffee and lots of it, hint of roasted caramel. A little dark fruit (stone washed) maybe a hint of grain or bread.
Smooth and sweet. Somewhat simple and straight line.
fell: syrupy, has a micro amount of long lingering carbonation release from the depths.

I really would put this beer in the 3.9 to 4.0 range. I like it. A solid beer for Utepils first Dopplebock.