Baron Rumpelstiltskin Rauch Doppelbock

Brewed by Baron Brewing & Lunar Brewing
Style: Smoked
Seattle, Washington USA

Date: March 29, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party
Appearance: dark brown with ruby edges, fine tan head
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma with lots of earthy peaty smoke
Flavor: sweet caramel malt flavor, plenty of balancing smoke, light tartness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Drinkability: 5/10
Score: *4

22oz bottle. Bottle stamped Limited Edition 2008. Poured a deep brown color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of smoked meats, roasty, caramel, chocolate, and some nuts. Tastes of dark tart cherries, lighter smokiness, and some caramel. Not sure if the tartness was intentional, but it did grow on me and since I liked it, I’m not going to knock it for it. Alcohol content well hidden. Smokiness was subtle all the way around.

Bottle (dregs)… Backus’s Backdoor Bash ‘08 … Murky prune-juice colored lager with a small, creamy, beige head. Great retention. In the nose, smoke and dark fruits abound. Medium-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Acidic, pleasantly sweet flavors meld with moderate bitterness. Tangy, then dry, finish. Muchos kudos to Ibrew2or3 for bringing this one to the Throwdown!

Pours a barely transparent dark mahogany with a thin ring of light tan head. Aroma of sweet toasty dark caramel and nice smoky character. Body starts airy and thin with some mild sweetness but a healthy dose of unexpected tartness before a drier semi-tart finish. Seems like it would make for a real authentic and nice smoked beer if it wasn’t for the likely infected sourness.

Bottle shared by pilsnerpeter. Deep brown black beer. Deep rich smokiness and a fairly woody aroma as well. Rich sweet molasses aroma. Flavour is pretty intense. Rich and tarry with a little bit of salty smokiness. The flavour has a little bit of tartness that I think works surprisingly well. It’s lean and rich at the same time. Rich salty and sweet. I like it.

Deep purple tinted brown colored body. Nose is sweetened smoked malt and maple-infused malt-forward caramel. Nasty lactic sour flavor, coating the mouth with a tingly lactic yeast and pasty texture. Some lightly sweet caramel, maple, mild smoke, overall just terribly integrated and poorly executed. Has so much promise.

Bottle. Head is fully diminishing. Body is dark brown. Aroma is moderately malty (roasted grain, caramel), with a note of smoke. Flavor is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter, unclean. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Ehh.

Bomber from Liquid Solutions. Dark ruby brown color with a transient tan head. Aromas of smoke, dark fruit and roasted malt. Medium body with mild carbonation. Flavor is primarily smoke, with some fruit and malt. Finish is mildly sweet and smokey, seems to get drier with time. Quite rich.