Doppelbock Hell
Brauerei Michael Plank

 

 

Poured from a 16.9 OZ bottle into a pint glass Aroma-Malt, floral and citrus accents Appearance- A nice murky golden amber with a small white head Taste- A nice malt flavor with that hint of floral follow through. Palate- a full bodied beer with mild carbonation that ends dry Overall- this is an excellent beer with I would definitely drink it again This is a nicely balanced souped up Helles bock. Alcohol adds some warmth, but barely dents the high drinkability.

16.9 0z bottle at 40 degrees into snifter
Aroma of malt
Head small (2 cm), light brown, fizzy, rapidly diminishing to 2 mm ring and partial layer
Lacing none
Body medium brown, hazy
Flavor begins with slightly sweet malt, ends with just a touch of bitterness; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium to full, creamy, soft carbonation

A really smooth, easy drinking doppelbock with the alcohol totally hidden.

 

 

 

 

 

From: Binny's, Downer's Grove, IL
Date: None on bottle
Glass: Ayinger bock glass

Brauerei Michael Plank has another solid beer in its portfolio with its medium-dark doppelbock. The beer is a solid representation of the style, with its own unique emphasis on figs and dessert-like breads. The only drawback is the somewhat steep $6 price for a 16oz bottle.

Pours a 2cm head of fairly small, dense bubbles. Head color is off-white or very light tan, diminishing to a very fine cap atop the glass, but leaving little lacing while doing so. Body is a dark copper color when out of the light, and when held up to a lamp, presents a lighter copper with orange-yellow highlights. Body is somewhat hazy with noticeable particulate matter at the bottom of the glass. Carbonation is still visible and appears to be quite active.

Aroma of sweet, fairly intense caramel and lightly toasted malts alongside a perfect replica of dried fig scent. I also detect, secondarily, dates, pureed raisins, and pleasant fruit-bread scents, a bit like whole wheat bread with a bit of banana and cinnamon to it. This sets things up for what should be a pleasant, sweet-style doppelbock.

Taste is of heavy maltiness, emphasis on caramel and lightly toasted malts giving this a sweet, caramel, dessert bread flavor. Obvious tastes pointing to dried figs, dates, and a few raisins. No chocolate or blackened flavors, as this is a lighter, sweeter doppelbock. Slight bit of ethanol on the back of the tongue, a bit surprising for a 7.8% beer that's also loaded with malt.

The beer is medium-heavy bodied, with enough carbonation to make this pleasurably foam up on the palate, yielding a pillowy mouthfeel.

 

 

eyes...
sizzle audio, crackling embers fade, a near jail break of carbo races up from the bottom like cabbage patch buyers on xmas in days of old, the head, once robust, now fades into typical beer male pattern hair loss, a light and clean chestnut hue, easily peered through, nothing about this grabs the bull by the shorts, and it is not as bad as that weird old aunt who always had to kiss you on the lips, in translation it is quite plain.

nose...
stale-ish/dry euro hops (a description, not a detriment mind you), bready caramel tones from the malt, slight (ever so) hints of roasty-ness are creeping around the edges like a peeping myspace tom, like the look this does not wow or hurt, right down the middle she goes...

taste etc...
dopplebock .. light? I can see why the hyphen name is there, it really is a blend, you get initial notes of DB roast and then it finishes like a sweeter helles, the body is medium so it does not betray the styles involved in this coitus of beer-us, after a minute the dry euro hops settle in with almost a twinge of ash flavor, it coats the tongue well and drinks very smooth, the carbonation is spot on carrying this well into the well that is my belly, the ABV just brushes by your shoulder with a whisper, this is pretty good, not a stunner

verdict?
not bad, an interesting take on the style but not a great take, a solidly brewed beer but just not the shizniziest of shizzness

 

 

Pours deep orange with a cream/tan head. Some sticky lace. Lots of floaties in this one, even some chill haze. Note: Bottle on this one is heavy -- I like this.

Deep sugary raisin-like aroma. This screams doppelbock.

Brown sugar,, sweet fruit with some booze. I almost get a maple-like depth to this. This is incredibly smooth beer. A level of sweetness that lingers beyond the malt that is incredible. Turns toffee-like with some alcohol and fruit and buttered sugar.

Medium-full bodied, Ok carbonation.

Overall, I liked this the more I drank it. The sugars and complexity of sweetness, malt, fruit, sugar, malt, etc. make this a fine example of the style. A smooth complex beer.

eh, what is this beer? Not sure what to expect, so I'll just drink it--quite an idea.

Pours light gold, or orange, or dark yellow. Not really pinning this down. Off white head, some lacing, but mostly slick.

Sweet aroma, almost syrupy. Honey dipped raisins, maybe. A bit spicy. Toasted malt. Not quick a Maibock, definitely not a Doppel

while the flavors aren't bad, they don't really commit to anything. Semi sweet, some spice, some toasted biscuit. Raisin and honey, sweet grass. They just kind of mill around like a bunch of lolligaggers.

Not a bad beer, just lacks commitment. More hops would help. Or more roasting...more something

A - Poured out a slightly hazy, burgundy color with a one-finger, egg-shell white head of foam. It had okay retention and left minimal lacing.

S - Aroma is almost nothing. Some mild maltiness and some floral notes.

T - It tasted of sweet malt, caramel and clove. There was a mild yeasty character, too.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale that finishes quite dry.

D - This is a very interesting maibock. Not much aroma but it tasted pretty good.

Served cold into a imperial pint glass.

Even allowing the beer to settle, upon popping the cap, the sediment immediately rises into suspension. So it has a hazy redish color with creamy white head. The cap lasts a long time and leaves some lacing behind.

Aroma is bready, yeasty and fruity. Pleasant overall and suitable for the style.

Flavor is more of the same - nice malt base with mild hops. Caramel apples and toasted wheat bread.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to moderate carbonation. The alcohol is present but not as strong as 7.8% would suggest.

Overall a decent version but not the best.

Got this 0.5l bottle a few weeks back at Half Time. Cost was $4.99, plus the usual added costs...

I poured this into a half-litre stange, save for about 2oz of sediment-infused liquid. It was an orangey, apricot hued bier, with some light haze. Being termed a "Heller Doppelbock" seems like an oxymoron. Either a Hellbock or a Doppel, eh? Color seems to be more of a Hellbock, as most Doppels I've had are chestnut/mahogany in color, or darker. Styled here as a Mai/Hellbock, despite the labels proclamation of being a DBock. In the end? Macht nichts! Some of the yeasties have already slipped past the guards at the door, and sit in suspension within the bier. Head is a fine layer of white bubbles, most of which sit at the rim. Nose finds some bready malts hanging with a bit of floral hoppage. Body is solidly entrenched in the middle, with a fairly smooth tongue-passage for the brew.

Taste has some light sweetness, with bready malts being right there. Some honey flavors are present, along with light fruits, like apple and pear. Hops are there, too, with lightly floral characteristics showing up at the finish, which is a bit dry. Pretty good, all-in-all, and one I could drink for the duration of an evening. Zum Wohl!!

4.05
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | drink: 4.5

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