Allgäuer Cambonator Doppelbock

Brewed by Allgäuer Brauhaus (Oetker Group)
Style: Doppelbock
Kempten, Germany

Probably should rate higher than what I gave it (overall it should be more around 3.5), but I couldn’t find components on which to bump it up . . . this one seemed "off" in a couple of ways. First, very weak aroma, and what I detected was only a rich version of macro. The mouthfeel is ultra-thick, rich and chewy, and the flavor begins to take on characteristics of a very rich nut brown ale, strong nuttiness and all. Head was good at first but receded something horrible to no head at all mid-glass. Came across as a rather flaky and disjointed presentation.

3/13/05 500ml. Gem Deli, Manhattan. Dark brown with minimal tan head. Sweet malty aroma. Sweet malty flavor but a little thin alcohol a little to prominant.

Rich caramel malt aroma with cherries and grape. Brown, burgundy in color with quick fading white head. Grape continues into the flavor with a dry, bitter vinous finish. $3/500ml

Pint Bottle... Poured a dark red/brownish color with a thick white head. Maple and malt on the nose. Flavors of brown sugar, maple syrup and a chocolatey-acidic base with a great malt presence, it finishes nicely with a dash of hops and a little metallic aftertaste. Great brew.

Brown with some rich red hues. Rich enough palate but not extraordinary. Flavors of alcohol and tons of grape--grape dominates for me. Some Germanic bitterness in the long finish. Good beer. Bottle.

Bottle. Molasses and caramel aroma with a little toffeeish grit. Weizen yeast notes. Dark, near-opaque ruby with a lacing, slightly yellow tanned head. Dry, lightly bitter taste with a touch of alcohol smacking the end, but only a touch. Red berry and roasted bread. Figs and faint herbs with a touch of acidity. Dark caramel, non-sweet raisin. Nostrils flaring with alcohol fumes. Medium body, smooth feel. A good beer, but dark and depressing!

Pours into my 25cl tulip with a four finger thick, dirty, light brownish, tan colored head that sits atop a dark, opaque, black-amber colored beer that shows a brilliantly clear, purple tinged, deeply red hue when held up to the light. The aroma is an interesting mix of concord grape aromatics, toasty grain, biscuit malt, perhaps a hint of dusty chocolate and a hint of an herbal edge to it. Really the concord grape aroma is the most noticeable thing about the nose.

Fairly sweet, but the concord grape note has become more of a berry-like note in the flavor. Rich, but not overly thick, about a middle of the road thickness, though perhaps a bit on the light side. Chalky malt notes of cocoa, toasted grain and soda crackers seem to become noticeable somewhere in the middle through to the finish of this beer. There is a hint of bitterness here, but there is also a touch of herbal character that could be ascribed to a hop influence. Still that malt induced fruity berry notes are the dominant note here, at times it is a little distracting. Really this is just not all that appealing to me.

A good pour from the 500ml bottle yields a clear, dark amber body and a loose, quickly-dissolving tan head. There is some modest lacing. Aroma is dominated by malt and dark fruit. The initial palate is surprisingly light, and the fuller-bodied finish is tempered with some nice hop flavor and alcohol bite. Flavor mostly resembles plum, raisin and cherry.