Jahrgangsbock
Brauhaus Faust-Miltenberger

 

 

Pours a slightly cloudy, deep ruby red to mahogany brown coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of bready, caramel malt and rather distinct red/dark fruit notes of cherry, apricot, fig and plum, with just a hint of coffee and honey also coming through. Taste is an excellent balance of bready, caramel malt, wildflower honey and distinct red/dark fruit notes of red grape, cherry apricot, fig and plum, as well as just a hint of coffee and marzipan, with a light underlying tartness. Finishes with a light sweetness and tartness and some cherry, apricot, fig and honey lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a medium/rich body and light/medium carbonation.

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about buying a 5-year old fliptop bottle, but despite light oxidation notes that are so subtle that they only benefit the beer, this has held up marvellously. There is a very subtle sherry vibe to this, with some red grape, cherry and marzipan accents, as well as more distinct apricot, fig and plum notes and more earthy hints of coffee and a light tartness that serve as a great counterpoint to the sweet, caramel malt and wildflower honey notes here. Overall, this is a terrific, complex and well-balanced Doppelbock that still feels pretty mellow, without a hint of booziness or overt sweetness to it and a very distinct, vibrant fruity flavor profile that is kinda unique among most Doppelbocks I've tried so far. I reckon that this has only benefitted from its age, making for an incredibly enjoyable example of the style (Vintage 2015).

This one must not be retired. Purchased it at the Faust brewery store in Miltenberger Germany in small bottle with a regular cap. Nice reddish brown color with a good size head and some lacing. Aroma and flavor are rich, slightly sweet bready malt. Mouthfeel is rich, smooth and malty. Well crafted and enjoyable.

2012 Vintage

L:
-pours a clear copper-red with a small,quickly dissipating,foamy,offwhite head
-low to medium carbonation visible
S:
-very bready,plums,raisins,figs,dates,Rum,vegetables
T:
Follows the nose plus strawberries
F:
-medium carbonation
-medium body
O:
Didnt really get any Barrel-aging notes on this.
Tasted like a good,regular Doppelbock for me.
Wouldn't buy again though because it's too expensive

Faust Jahrgangsbock 2013

Pours a coppery red-brown color, with a decent head, leaving back a small coating of lacing at the edge of the glass.

Smells of an intense melange consisting rock sugar, dried tree bark and wildflower honey. A profound nutshell quality adds to the mix, enhancing the wooden impact, standing against a boozy sweetness.

Has an utmost smooth mouthfeel with a fuller, perfectly balanced body, centered completely around the malts.

Tastes of glazed caramel among dusty wood bark and slightly sweetened marzipan. Both earth and sweetness evolve being more profound, while staying in great balance to each other, tied together by rock sugar and bakers chocolate, enhancing the beers earth appearance. Finishes with molasses, dried plums and licorice, creating a sugar coated thickness among a soft aqueous quality.

This drinks great, while providing a unique depth of flavours, without denying its origins. Has a fantastic wooden quality, enriching the beers profound, sweeter profile, while staying in balance to each other.

 

 

Today--- the last one, from Brauhaus Faust, from Miltenberg. Drinking it with timosen, a real German who I have forced to brew beer. We're now drinking it and.... first, it exploded when I opened the flip-top bottle.

That's ok, because it shows it was conditioned in the bottle. 7%, brewed in 2009, bottle #423 from 879, with Hallertauer Perle and cold lagered in Wild Turkey whiskey casks for 12 weeks in their de-humidified mountain-side cellar.

Basically a Doppelbock aged in whiskey oak casks! mmm... even the idea makes my mouth water.

The aroma is a little on the molassesy side, sweet, apricots and figs, and almost like a Belgian Abbey Dubbel or Trippel. The color is dark brown with red tints. Timosen said, "very mild!" For a German that's high praise. The taste is very sweet, almost verging on a Belgian Dubbel, but still with caramel, German Münchner malt tones. It also has a dry aftertaste with a tad bitterness in the back of the tongue. The whiskey notes are pronounced but not overpowering, just enough to tell you it's there. So basically, it tastes like a 80 year old whiskey mixed with a 10 year old abbey beer in a 30:70 ratio. This is one great beer, and Timosen agrees, so it's not only my world-weary, jaded palate that says this. After a few sips, it's starting to get a bit cloyingly sweet, with licorice, though. We have a 0.75L bottle to drink, so I'm glad I got another person to help me finish it. Basically, great as an aperitif or with cake, preferably a Frankfurter Kranz, since we're in Frankfurt am Main.

Bottle purchased at Maruhn in Darmstadt, Hessen (Germany)

Faust's Jahrgangsbock is brewed once a year at the summer solstice and aged a year in absolute darkness at 9°C. They claim that each year's batch is entirely different due to the resources on hand.

I picked up a bottle of the 2007 which was bottle #252 of 1215.

The beer was highly carbonated and poured with nearly no head. It was deep purple in color and fairly clear.

The nose is full of fresh bread and grape jam with hints of prunes and raisins in the background.

The mouth is a thing of beauty. A super complex beer, there is an absolute flavor explosion. Fresh toast with homemade grape preserves, freshly squeezed prune juice and a little tinge of alcohol warmth. There is also a slight musty flavor that borders on gorgonzola cheese. The rustiness often associated with many lagers is nearly hidden, though hints of cherry coke and lemon-lime do fight their way through. A very fruity finish rounds out this flavor journey with an undercurrent of roasted malts.

This beer goes down really easily and is in no way syrupy. A very distinctive Doppelbock, I am tremendously curious to try the other vintages if I can get my hands on one again. This has a remarkable character and is a wonderfully unique example of the style. By far one of my favorite Doppelbocks.

If you can get one, give this a try. It's a winner!