Winterbock
Privatbrauerei Bischoff

Catch up rating. Bottle from getrankmarkt. Weak and murky doppelbock, nowhere near the quality of some of the Bavarian standouts. props for trying but just doesn’t cut it.

It pours dark caramel in color with a reasonably sized slightly tan head. Taste makes it a very respectable dark double bock. Get it if you are in K-Town!

Poured from a 500 ml green bottle with metal screw cap into a personalized lager glass. Best by date of 15/12/09 is clearly printed on the back of the label. This particular bottle was brought overseas by my uncle, who lives in Kaiserslautern, a short drive from the Brauerei in Winnweiler.

Appearance is spot-on for a good Doppelbock, displaying a brilliant clarity and a deep ruby-chestnut hue with several fingers of light tan foam that dissipates leisurely and displays great cling, leaving behind nice rings of lace as the glass empties.

Sadly, the visual introduction is where this one really shines, as the other sensory aspects are quite lackluster. Perhaps the bottle saw a little sunlight, as a bit of skunking seems apparent over the base malty, slightly roasty aroma that mixes with a rather bothersome hop accent. The back of the label lists its ingredients as including water, malt, hops, and hop extract. The presence of extract hops could be the source of the very un-noble hop aroma.

The palate improves slightly compared with the nose, with a nice sweet malt base of caramel and a touch of roasted malt character being balanced by some grassy/herbal noble hops and, again, that troublesome extract hop note. Fades into a slightly sweet, mostly dry finish with a bit of bitter hops lingering, mostly of that ignoble type already mentioned. Lighter in body than expected, with a medium body and too little carbonation.

I have a strong connection with the Pfalz region of Germany, but sadly this Pfalzisch Doppel fails to live up to its Bayerischen ancestors. Not a horrible beer, but for one of my favorite styles, certainly a bit of a disappointment.