Online Doppelbock Tasting - February 4th

Do we post here, or wait for a separate thread?

 

Got a Salvator hanging out in my fridge, and I'll most likely be getting off work early enough tomorrow that I'll feel like having a beer when I get home. Looks like this is going to be the first one of these BA online tasting threads that I'll actually have a chance to be present for!

(And if I'm really in a beer-drinking mood when I get off work, I might stop by one of the local grocery stores and pick up one of those six-packs of Troegenator that have been staring at me from the fridge shelves all winter...)

 

I work tomorrow smack in the middle of the good hours of this tasting, but I think I've got a good plan for how to handle that.

(I also think I've got three different doppelbocks in my fridge right now, so I might get down on some Late Night Dopplebock Tasting tomorrow )

 

Can't wait, still will only have a korbinian , but it should be a fun tasting.

 

Ok, it's after 4 here on the East Coast, close enough for me. Starting with Troegenator.

Color is a deep amber hue - off-white colored head. Aroma is bready, nutty, a touch of fruitiness and earthy herbal hops. Taste is on the sweeter side, but not too much so. Medium bodied, drinks easy.

 

A combination of injured leg and a cold rainy weekend makes this meeting all the suitable. This was my expected line up when moving up to the shop, crutches and all, as these have been available all the winter. But sadly someone has been drinking way too many Eiche this week and the Ayinger was also over, damn! I might put some brief notes on those from recent tastings but Korbinian is actually my only real one tonight.

In the other hand is it Urbock too much cheating? Even if a sensible deviation from the main theme i consider it closer to let´s say Celebrator than to the few regular bocks i´ve had in terms of gravity and overall feeling (a recent Spaten Bock comes to mind). But still...should i include it? I will drink it anyway so not that worried about keeping it all to myself!



As the expected lineup is so diminished i am warming up with a fresh Hofbrau Original, which is a really “hoppy lager” at its mere 22 Ibus...

 

Unfortunately, I can't participate in this tasting, but I just want to say that I really like this idea of a style theme and would enjoy seeing it continue (as is the plan).

Cheers all.

 

Due to the "Big Game on Sunday" I was unable to go all out like I wanted to (I bought a bunch of other beer for the game)

I only picked up some Salvator and a Korbinian. Roger Wilco (my local beer store) didn't have the best Bock selection. I was tempted to buy that 2010 Schlenkerla Dopplebock out of curiosity but I didn't pull the trigger.

 

This beer has quite a story ending with today's tasting. Grabbed off a grocery store shelf in Kobarid, SLO while on a business trip (that serendipitously I was able to stretch a few days, have my wife join me to celebrate our wedding anniversary by wandering the countryside and experiencing the charms of a country we had never expected to visit including a nine course lunch a Hisa Franko) primarily because of the shape of bottle and that it was not a red or green can.

After researching, I learned that the name was not an exotic ingredient but a pseudo-phonetic spelling from a simpler albeit less politically correct time. This did nothing but add to its charm.

From this point on, this beer could have give mother's milk a run for its money. Trying to check as much sentimentality as I could this is what I experienced.

Pours a deep amber from a uniquely shaped bottle with a quickly forming head that recedes after a couple of minutes and leaves no lacing.
Smells of burnt toffee and caramelized sugar.
Sweet earthiness and finishes with alcohol and what could be called the signature Lasko hop finish.
Full and creamy mouthfeel with a little but sustained carbonation bite that carries you to the next sip.
Distinctly non-German, Euro interpretation.

And to go with ...

 

I know I'm a bit ahead of the official start, but dinner was earlier, so doppelbock time is earlier too. Starting with Troegenator to warm up, something I've had many times. Paired well with the Sicilian pizza we had for dinner.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass. Presents as dark reddish brown with a thin head that disappears almost at once. No lacing left on the glass.
Smells of dark fruit and rye bread, with some alcoholic notes as well.
A somewhat astringent flavor hits right on the attack, immediately replaced by caramel, bitter dark chocolate, pumpernickel bread, and a general alcoholic sweetness. That sweetness lingers for a bit on my tongue.
As for the feel, it's stickier than the other bottles I've had from this 6-pack. The flavors are lingering longer.

I think this might have been a sub-par bottle, it just didn't have the same delicious flavor of Troegenator that I love. It's not that this was bad, it just wasn't as good as the previous bottles I've had, even from the same pack. Still, a quality beer, and a good way to start off the evening. Really looking forward to the Celebrator next!

 

*rubs eyes, shakes head, looks again*

 

OK I am half way into my Kiss the Goat . This is a shade darker and a tad less sweet than Celebrator( a personal favorite 4.75) but a nice 8% lager from Oregon .

Who else is playing?

 

Hey now! I'm gonna start my Doppelbock tasting with my favorite to date. Weltenburger-Kloster Asam Bock. The last time I drank this was August of 2016, and rated it a 4.31 (+5.4% rDev) to style, but did not do a formal review . I think I'll change that this time around. Prost to one of my all-time favorite styles!



Poured into my favorite and proper little gold rimmed dimpled tankard (proper of course), a deep dark brown to the naked eye, but held up to the light, shows off a beautiful deep ruby red. A fine little tan head recedes then persists around the edge of the glass. Smells of toffee, caramel, pumpernickel bread, and a faint tart fruitiness. Tastes very similar but a dominant molasses flavor binds all others. Feel is rich, good carbonation, slightly sticky and just overall wonderfully sweet. Overall, I may even rate this higher, and at $2.99 for a half liter, it's a steal. Prost!

 

Weihenstephan seems to take a different route from others on doppelbock dates, as the best by here is 05.04.18. So you don´t really know when it is bottled but i am assuming this is as fresh a doppelbock as you can get.

Head is uninspiring even with a normal pour and recedes fast to nothing, the liquid showing a clear dark mahogany which doesn´t show in the picture. I don´t expect a Helles-Hefe head but this is a bit too poor, isn´t it? The nose is clean and balanced but i would say the sour sweet dark fruits predominate over caramel, spices and alcohol more or less in that order, with the roasted malts somehow underlying in the background (not as present as one might expect but still adding a roasty touch). Might lack some breadiness but it is yet flawless and enjoyable. Taste follows with dark fruits and caramel on top, with a kirsch like boozy sweetness in the aftertaste which is never overwhelming. Chewy feel and little carbonation.

I don´t drink Korbinian often but always considered it a bit too sweet for my taste, which doesn´t happen this time. That´s good. The beer is actually very nice but i´ve been missing some of the solid malts, nuttiness, hints of chocolate and earthy character that define the style in my understanding. The slightly boozy dark fruits were flawless and very enjoyable though, Aventinus like. I don´t know much about the brewing methods and beer development but i wonder if this might be even TOO fresh. I´ve asked about this a couple of times in the forum with no answer, but i found a recent Korbinian from another source, almost a year older (best by 05.07 or similar), to be more rounded and enjoyable.

Reviewing is hell, i am not used to it and even half a liter was not nearly enough to take notice and most importantly, enjoy the the damn beer. I will take it easier with the Urbock!

 

Samichlaus Classic, bottled in 2015. Big aromas and flavors of licorice, molasses, prune, raisin, fig,dark bread, and toffee, with hints of dried cherry. I think this might have benefitted from about three years in the corner of the cellar. It was a little harsh, with lots of alcohol bite even at fridge temp. Nice, silky mouthfeel, with a surprisingly clean finish. My first review of this was in November 2015, of a 2013 vintage. That one was a little smoother, with a creamier mouthfeel and a longer-lasting sweetness on the palate. It had the nice alcohol warmth, but not quite the bite. I think I'll pick up another of these and see if I can forget about it for a while. A long while.


It's 7 o'clock somewhere.