Krampus Lager
East Rock Brewing Company

 

Only my second beer from East Rock, but I enjoyed their pilsner, so decided to take a chance on this doppelbock with cherries. It’s a 16 oz can dated best by May 20, 2023. I poured it into a tulip.

It pours a murky dark brown with the faintest hint of red. The head is tawny light brown, a healthy two fingers. Nice lacing lingers though the head fades faster than I expected it to.

The nose is pretty muted on this beer, but I’m getting some caramel and dark bread, along with banana/clove esters and a little sweet cherry. Certainly wouldn’t immediately know it for a cherry beer by the aroma.

The flavors here are bolder than the aromas. The cherry stands out a bit on the tongue at first sip but it’s a pleasant, subtle cherry, not a slap in the face. The clove/banana note really dominates, hitting the middle of the tongue quickly and drowning out the roasted malts and cherry.

Good beer - very subtle on the cherry, but that’s okay with me.

I picked up a 4 pack of these at a local shop on a whim, like the brewery, like double bocks. Lets see what I got!
Pouring at cellar temp into my .5L dimple mug. Date stamp is best before May 30 2023.
The beer pours a clear chestnut color but rests at a deeper mahogany and garnet in my glass. Only hints of light pass through the glass which reveals the rich garnet hues.
A fizzy beige head foams up about 1.5 cm and fades to a sturdy edge layer after the pour. I get some scattered and windowpane type lattice when I swirl or take a sip from the glass.
The aroma is toffee malt, brown sugar and hints of pumpernickel bread and a bit of cherry in the background. Tart not sweet cherry notes, and definitely faint.
First sip reveals a medium body with very smooth and drinkable texture. Very fine tingly carbonation rolls across my palate. The beer disappears on a clean finish after each sip.
Flavor is similar to the nose with some sweeter brown malts of toffee and again a bit of a pumpernickel bread note. Cherry shows up briefly and then a bit of a spicy finish comes across. Rye and black pepper on the finish. I kinda wish the cherry made a slightly bigger impact but otherwise this is a nice doppelbock, glad I have 3 more in the cellar!