Bayern Doppelbock

At Bayern: Dark brown with a creamy beige head. Whispy lacing. Sweet aroma, rather inticing. Taste is deep with molasses and sweetness. Some caramel. Lightly bitter, but finishes with a deep maltiness and very little roast. Good. **Unfiltered verision was similar, tasted side-by-side, but was a little sweeter and showed more of a toffee and molasses thing in the tail. Final rating is an average of the two.

2/11/09 On draft at the Dog & Pony, Renton, Wa. Aroma is highly malty with faint sourness & alcohol. Appearance is dark brown with a well maintained off white head. Flavor is sour, yet more malty and not tangy. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a low carb texture. This beer is unique in that tastes more authentic and traditional as it warms up.

Bottle, right after a Spaten. A little sweeter and bubble-gummy on the nose, but with a bit of chocolate and wet, malty metal, each of which predict the flavor. A decent bock which I think is a little underrated here. Had no idea it was 8.4% abv.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with kyzr (thanks!). Poured a medium and hazy brown color with a thin sized off white head. Aromas of chocolate, some toasted nuttiness, and caramel. Tastes of chocolate, some nuts, caramel, and dark fruits. Alcohol content well hidden.

Nose of some chocolate sweet maltiness, a touch of hop bitterness too. Pours a dark brown with nice red hues, but no head. The flavor is pretty malty with chocolate, some dark ripe fruits, a little roast perhaps all with a decent bitterness that cleans out the finish. Might have been a tad thin. It was ok.

Pretty watery and thin palate. Elements of vanilla and traces of malt, but the main component was the beer lacking punch.

Marvelous rich, deep mahogany color fixed with a tan-browned head. Definitely a PNW take on the style with hop bitterness evident in the aroma along with moderate maltiness and mild melanoidin/malt ball essence. The flavor strikes similar notes. Malt complexity is underdeveloped compared to what is desirable in the style. Alcohol content barely peaks out its neck. Bitter, sour, tannic malt finish.

This is not a terrible take on the style, but it could have used a little more body and flavor. All the textbook characteristics are there, but just not in a large enough capacity. Some fruitcake and caramel flavors, with a touch of candied fruits, and just a hint of bitterness in the finish.