Cherry Oak Doppelbock (Brothers' Reserve Series)
Widmer Brothers Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle pour at mrbubbler's tasting.

Bottled 9/9/09.

Pours a hazy reddish-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, cherry, and metallic aromas. Taste is much the same with malt and slightly sour cherry flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that has held up fairly well but there is an odd metallic presence I am getting.

 

 

Review from 9/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark red amber. Slight head, but leaves a little lacing. Aroma of mild malt, perhaps a hint of cherry. Flavor is light malt, some dark fruit, a hint of wood, followed by distinct dry cherry; dry finish. Nothing really stands out. Nicely made, but no outstanding features. Glad I tried it, but probably that's enough.

 

 

 

 

 

From a bottle in my cellar, dated 09/2009, poured into a SA Perfect Pint

A - Pours a cherry-hued, chestnut brown with a scant, fizzy head. Retention settles to a thin and bubbly skim that leaves a fading, slippery lace.

S - Smells super-sweet, and scares me that it's going to be heavy and cloying. There's definitely a fermented fruit thing going on, but I'd be lying if I said cherries was what popped into my head.

T&M - Okay...it's not super heavy and cloying (thankfully). Still super sweet with a huge malt bill. Fruity sugars add to the sweet profile. Feels under-carbonated, but could be a result of aging this bottle. Medium-heavy body along with the sweetness make this a sipper.

O - Not bad, but it needs something, anything, to help balance the sweetness. It never approached cloying for me, but it still felt off-balanced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a brown-amber color with almost no head at all.  Only three (yes three) large bubbles float in the center, surrounded by nothing at the edges of the glass.  No lacing left behind.  Several large chunks of sediment are suspended in the liquid. 

S: Malty and slightly sweet with a large oak presence.  Cherries are somewhat muted, but there is a small presence.  Slight vinegar lingers in the background, which seem a little out of place, but isn't strong enough to ruin it.  A bit of smoke at the end, but it is very, very subtle.

T: Malty and sweet up front with, again, a large oak presence that lingers through the finish.  Cherries are muted in the taste as well, but there is a good balance between sweet and sour cherries (I'm not sure the sourness was intentional, but it's not unpleasant really).  An odd vinegar flavor pops up briefly at the finish, which again seems out of place.  The finish is slightly sour, and very oaky.  It's interesting, but seems off. 

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation.  A little coating and not very lively, which isn't bad at all.  Slightly drying on the palate at the finish.  

D: Not bad, but off for the style and has a few characteristics that seem a bit out of place.  I don't think this has aged very well, and probably should have been opened a bit earlier.  I split the bottle three ways and we probably wouldn't have finished the bottle if there were any fewer people.  

22 oz bottle. 9/9/09. $6 from Pints O'Plenty. Doug just got a few cases of this stuff that was held over in a distributors warehouse for two years.

Appearance: Light brown as it sits in the tulip. Nice and clear garnet when held to the light. Off white head with good retention and very attractive lacing.

Smell: Rich bready and toasty malt aromas. Caramel and dark fruit, especially (obviously) the cherry, which is a little medicinal. The oak is soft, with a nice vanilla note.

Taste: Quite a bit more woody oak in the flavor than the smell. Toasted bread and caramel. Dark cherry flavor again is somewhat cough syrup-esque, but not bad. Hint of alcohol bitterness in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium full feel of a big malty beer. There's a bit of stickiness in the finish.

Overall: Pretty damn solid beer, and a nice twist on a doppelbock. It doesn't work perfectly, but its tasty. I'll probably pick up another.

Big thanks goes out to funkydelic for sharing this one with myself and beeruser at one of our weekly tastings! Served from bottle into a Mikkeller flute. Poured a brownish orange with minimal cream colored head. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wood, cherry, alcohol, and dark fruit. The flavor was of sweet malt, wood, cherry, dark fruit, and bread. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. You definitely picked up on the cherry and oak aspect going on in this beer right off the bat in both the aroma and flavor as it was very pronounced. The alcohol on this one was a little off-putting but not totally invasive to the palate. The dark fruit added a nice touch to help balance out the alcohol some and make it a little easier to drink. However, I did find this one a little too much of a sweet cherry aspect rather than a tart cherry which I was disappointed in, but you can't win them all. Worth trying for a fan of the style who wants to try something new.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy burnt caramel color with a rocky tan head that leaves quite a few squiggles of lace behind

Smell: Chocolate-covered cherries and caramel, with a hint of oak

Taste: Fruit cake ladened with cherry, up front; the oaky character arrives by mid-palate; at the same time, the flavor moves it both a tangy and metallic direction; after the swallow, the cherry and caramel flavors add depth, but there is still an unruly tart/metallic character that is a distraction

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low carbonation

Overall: A nice beer, with an interesting twist on the style but there are few characteristics that I could do without

Thanks, Thickfreakness, for the opportunity

From Notes

22oz bottle into a snifter glass

A- Pours a cloudy dark brown with a 1 finger yellowish head that leaves pretty decent lacing.

S- Strong vanilla oak notes with a slight cherry sweetness in there. Good amount of roasted and burnt malts and barley. Some booze in there but blends well with the overall aroma.

T- Smooth roasted malts with a great vanilla/oak flavor that finishes with a nice cherry.

M- Creamy and smooth body with lower carbonation and a bitter dry finish.

SkÅL!

so oakey and sweet. this beer is a bit of a mess, but put it together with some barrel aging and it is really satisfying. super malty sweet... a pleasant alcohol burn and the nice cherry tartness to wrap it all up. i am pretty happy i stumbled onto this one. THANKS WIDMER BROS!

pours a syrupy molasses and foams up a finger high head. the smell is very enticing and aromatic: malty sweet but also some pepper and chocolate in the nose. the sweetness and the cherries and oak and hop bitterness make the flavor profile very complex. you could read it many ways. there is something a little rough and unfinished about it...

the mouthfeel is excellent... and i could push the drinkability up a little.... this is a really REALLY good beer. hereby looking out for more W BROS RESERVE! excellent.

Dark brown color with some bronze highlights; head jumps up in the glass to about two inches. Taupe in color, this recedes quickly but still provides a lot of lacing. Nose is nondescript malty, with toffee and caramel but nothing approaching interesting. Cherry? Oak? Nope.

The flavor initially hits with a rather horrendous metallic twang, however, as the carbonation breathes it is much improved. The oakiness is prevalent throughout the the cherries drop in on the finish. Otherwise a fairly sweet affair: dark fruit, hints of vanilla, and slightly sour-metallic. Bready and boozy.

The carbonation, as mentioned, was way too much initially, and the thinness pervades. Body evens out to about medium, but I do expect a little more from my doppelbocks. Not bad.

Bottled 9/9/09, pulled up from the cellar 2/28/11.

Poured a murky cider brown with a slight red tinge into a tulip with a thin film of off-white head. Very sweet aroma of toffee, bread, cherry, vanilla, and a hint of apple.

Moderate carbonation and a creamy but slightly thin mouthfeel. Initially not as sweet as the aroma had indicated with lots of toast and caramel followed by a touch of vanilla and lots of cherry and toffee sweetness on the finish. Not much bitterness to be detected and just a touch of alcohol heat on the finish.

Some pleasant elements in the aroma and flavor, but this brew was just too sweet and muddled for my palate. To be fair, I don't think aging the bottle for two years did it any favors, as I was detecting a little cardboard/oxidation mixed in.

Review #500! Pulled this from my cellar - 22oz brown glass pry-top bottle. Sept 2009. Served at 49 degrees.

Pours a dense, somewhat ruddy dark brown with a small amount of thin tan head.

Nose is all about milk chocolate-covered cherry cordials. Fresh cream comes to mind with a little vanilla extract and some coffee au lait.

Palate is a little more tart than I remember it being 9 months ago. Rich yet crisp. Flavors are of black cherry and chocolate caramel. Creamy oak/vanilla and subtle sudsy carbonation. Finish is long and pleasant.

Notes: A great dessert beer. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's exactly what it sounds like in a wonderful way! Really impressed for this brewery.

Appearance: 1/4 inch head, low carbonation, red-brown in color, hazy, some sediment

Smell: oak, vanilla, cherry, and caramel--This is an awesome smelling beer.

Taste: cherry taste similar to SA cherry wheat, toasted malt, caramel, alcohol, and a touch of oak.

Mouthfeel: high carbonation, medium-heavy bodied, sweet with an oaky backbone

Drinkability: This one is overly sweet. This beer smells as amazing as any I have had, yet the taste does not follow the complexities of the nose. An OK beer but one that is one and done for me.

from notes 12/3/10

A: pours reddish brown with little to no head.
S: cherry and nutty caramel malt
T: almost too cherry, a bit of oak, malt is sweet. did over pour and got some sediment. cherry is a good bock addition but not this over powering.
M: lingers a while, carbonation is low.
D: its alright. way too much cherry, wont buy again.

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #34 (Nov 2009):

Craft beer is stepping it up--more breweries are producing oaked, fruit-flavored, big beers that come in special packaging, but we know all the proof is in the pudding regardless of what a brewery can come up with.

Dark, alluring garnet-brown color; stiff lacing holds well on the glass. Subtle aroma of sweet cherries and a thick maltiness. Big, thick body lumbers around; sweetness is every- where, but mellow. Hint of cherry juice and a dull pucker of oak present. A little bready and a little bit of caramel in the back. Slight herbal kick from the hops. Alcohol is tame for 9 percent--the warmth is pervasive. Really, with each sip, this whole beer opens up more. Sweet finish, with a quick flash of dark brown sugar.

You can dress a beer up and put it in a fancy box, but at the end of the day, all that mat- ters is what is in the bottle. Widmer prevails with this stellar brew. Kudos to the brothers.

Pours from the bomber a dark mahogany color with a thin layer of off-white head. Aromas of dark cherries, caramel malt and various dark sugars. On the palate, slightly syrupy, medium bodied, with flavors of sweet malt, light brown sugar, cherries and oak.

Purchased a bottle in November 2009, and have been aging it in the cellar since then. Shared with my wife tonight and poured into two stemmed glasses. Dark garnet red color, with a small tan head. Some lacing on the glass. Tiny traces of sediment at the bottom of the glass. Smell was quite woody and cherry-like. I liked the flavor of this beer very much. There a nice tartness from the cherries, but also a nice oak flavor from the wood aging. Mouthfeel was not bad, which probably was helped a bit from the time in the cellar. Although, there was a somewhat syrupy feeling that lingered on the palate. Drinkability was good, but I am glad that I aged this beer a bit based on other reviews.

poured from a 22 into a pint glass

appearance dark red to brown little head

smell has definite oak and cherry notes

taste a fairly oaky upfront taste, which fades to the cherries and the alcohol. I think this is a beer that would benefit from some aging to help meld the oak and cherry flavors, as well as tone back the alcohol presence.

mouthfeel- to sweet, has a syrupy consistency that I could not get past

drinkability- could not have drank another serving

a would like to try this again if properly aged for a while

22 oz bomber pours a deep reddish color with a frothy tan foam. Light lacing and sub-par retention.

Nose is thick toffee malts, light fruit and some definite oakiness. Touch of vanilla as it warms. Smells more like an Old Ale than a doppel at this point.

Taste has lots of toasty and sweet malts. Big oak flavors and the addition of cherries is notable, though I would certainly not mind a bit more. The malt character is big, and conforms somewhat to the doppelbock style. Alcohol is there aplenty, but does not thin out the beer much. I like where Widmer was going with this beer, but not sure the final result is much to my liking. Tough for me to get through and that was with splitting the bottle with someone.

I shared a bottle of this with Matt and my sink a few nights ago.

A: Murky brown with orange highlights at the apex. There is a tiny head that leaves very little in the way of lacing.

S: Somewhat subdued aroma of oak, cherries, sweet malt. Undoubtedly, the best aspect of this beer, in my opinion.

T: Not my bag, baby. The aroma is way better than the flavor. It's overly sweet and basically, a big mess. Disappointing.

M: Cough syrupy and hard to drink.

D: I just couldn't bring myself to finish my glass (see top of review).