Starkbierzeit 2022

The aroma carries sweet wheat bread and iced tea. Dates and figs follow. There is a light, nondescript spiciness. Modest warmth brings out raisins. Flavors are similar. Bitterness, while mild, is far greater than expected of this style and about as high as a mild Pilzner. The raisins are more pronounced than the aroma suggests. It is less complex than hoped. Warmth brings out nuts. The finish is initially intense and quickly fades to a mild lingering sensation. Alcohol seems a bit higher than labeled. Soft light carbonation helps to keep the body medium. Fine sharp nylon texture. Light residual sugar clings to the lips. Comparison to bread holds true, and this is a good choice for a brisk March afternoon. Less complex than other examples though clearly well done.

 

I wonder if some of the 'issues' you had with the beer is due to it being over a year old? The numbers stamped on the front of the label is a bottled on date code and it says your beer was bottled on January 27, 2021

 

Interesting it was still as hoppy as he described.

 

Luckily, that hasn't been my experience.

 

Were they even dating their beers the last time you purchased a six pack?

You should check the dates--just to see if there's been better turnover in your area.

 

Sadly my decoder ring was back home. I suspected as much. Sometimes I am willing to roll the dice on some beers.

$3.73 for a single. Of the three places I checked, that day, this was the only stop with any German Doppelbock. And there was only one Doppelbock in either of the other stores. It was the last stop of the day for a reason. They have a poor record with old stock. Hence only willing to get a single.

I didn’t really get hops from Maximator.

 

one year and 17 days old and still tasting great. This is one of the few American doppelbocks that can come close to the authentic German ones.

 

That was regarding intensity, rather than type. The bitterness was from the roasted malt.

 

Tonight I went with Augustiner-Bräu München Maximator. It has been quite a while since I have had one of these.

I made a half liter serving out of 2 1/3-liter bottles. The remaining half bottle was capped with a plastic tasting cork and placed back into the beer fridge.


Date Codes:
Full bottle: L027222122 - 27 Jan, 2021 (?)
Half bottle: L280062102 - 07 Oct, 2021 (?)

(I bought both of these bottles plus another at the same time, which was 2 or 3 weeks ago.)


Glass: 0.5L Willibecher
Serving Temp: unsure. Maybe 48-50 degrees F


Look: Clear mahogany-amber with a huge beige head. The head dissipates in time to about .75 inches then eventually thinner. The lacing is long lasting.

Smell: Rich malts (maybe toasted caramel) and somewhat candied dried fruits such as raisins, currants, figs, and dates. As the beer warms an underlying earthiness is noticeable.

Taste: Same as the nose, but more pronounced across the board. The toasted caramel and the earthy notes are most prominent. The alcohol peeks through here and there and adds some warmth. The beer stays on the sweet/rich side, but the earthiness is enough to balance things out some and keep it from becoming cloying. Something seems to want to be chocolate or cocoa, but doesn't quite get there.

Feel: Smooth and rich with hints of warmth. The body leans to the heavier side of medium.

Overall: A well made and tasty doppelbock. Sweeter than I normally prefer them and missing or deemphasizing the dark bread and chocolate notes that I like in a doppelbock. But this is a quality doppelbock nonetheless. I found the body to be surprisingly heavy. This is a nice beer for a cool-to-chilly spring night.

 

ok that does it. I will have to have a bottle of Maximator soon, I have it stock. I might have to do a more in depth analysis of it. It has been one of my favorites for a few years now.

 

I've always thought that a Traditional Bock had an upper limit that is within the 'strong' beer category, but the BA definition says 6.3% - 7.6% for the style. However, I'm going to go ahead and post about a bock that I just finished, which is actually outside of the lower abv cut-off.

I came across this one in my brother's fridge in Virginia, so it's a free beer. It was good enough to talk about it. Motor Goat Bock is from the local Old Ox Brewery. It is typical in color, but the head receded fairly quickly after the pour. The slightly-sweet, rich, nutty-like malt taste was upfront and very enjoyable. I'm not disappointed that it was only 6 percent. I'm rating it at 4.24, marking is down a tad only because the head didn't hang around as much as I'd like.

 

Two Roads Accelerator



[4] That head lasted a few minutes; then was in no hurry as it progressed to a sea-foam blanket. In its wake was left thick patches of lace.

[3.75] The aroma is a bit lackluster, initially sweet, it quickly transforms to peanut skins and husks. Wheat bread is mild to faint, as modest sweetness comes back in waves.

[3.5] It is remarkably bitter, for the style, and this time very much like hop bitterness. There are clear notes, of grassy hop flavors, though they are far less than the toasted malt. Biscuits and cracked pepper, like water crackers, fills the middle. Wheat bread shows with warmth. The finish brings sweetness, than turns bitter for the long haul.

[3.5] A medium body and sharp, course nylon texture. The alcohol is less present than expected yet certainly noticeable. Carbonation is modest and fizzy and there is a light astringency. Slight residual sugar starts to build on the lips.

[3.75] At a blind tasting, it is uncertain if I would identify this as a Doppelbock. That said, after coming home from another long day, it is enjoyable to decompress with Accelerator in my glass.

 

Spaten Optimator, Rated 4.53 years & years ago. I will give it a fresh look:

Has the look & smell of the style. Sweet brown bread & toffee notes, plus a little hint of Gingerbread. Decent drinkability, I am not totally in love with the body, a touch thin. If i was rating this today, I'd probably rate it somewhere between a 4 & 4.25 overall

 

Today I decided to enjoy a doppelbock that I have countless times before - Ayinger Celebrator.

As I did with the Maximator yesterday, I combined 2 1/3 liter bottles to make a single half liter serving. The remaining half bottle was capped with another plastic cork and put back into the fridge.

Celebrator has the dark bread and chocolate notes that I tend to like in doppelbocks. Plus that dry finish. For my palate, I put Celebrator #4, right behind Korbinian.

Let's see how these bottles are treating me ....


look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Combo: 4.03

1.5 0.333L Bottles = 0.5 L
Glass: 0.5L Ayinger Pokal
Serving Temp: approx. 50 degrees F


Look: Deep and opaque chestnut brown. I cannot see even my fingers thru the glass even when held up to a light. 3" tan head that fills the glass from the the 0.5L mark to the rim. The head lasts a fairly long time and persists as a 0.25" cover even after I start drinking the beer. Good lacing down the sides of the glass

Smell: Deep and rich malts. Fresh baked whole grain dark bread such as pumpernickel. Dark cocoa.

Taste: Rich malts with toasted pumpernickel bread. Chocolate and cocoa. Some raisin with hints of anise. Finishes on a dry note.

Feel: Smooth and rich. Mouth-coating. Medium body.

Overall: An excellent doppelbock that deserves its world class reputation. The dark bread and chocolate notes, along with the dry (but not bitter) finish, are exactly what I look to find in doppelbocks.