Bells Consecrator Doppelbock

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Doppelbock
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

I really enjoyed this brew, it is a dark amber color with a thick fizzy head that reduces to almost nothing. Smells of chocolate and fruit and the first taste is so complex it was hard to pick out the different flavors. After drinking a bottle I could swear I tasted cherry and raisin with some grassy undertones. The lingering fuity taste kept me happy for some time after I finished the bottle.

Seriously disappointing for a doppel and even more seriously disappointing for a Bells. Surprisingly thin looking. Surprisingly thin in the mouth. Surprisingly thin tasting ... more sweet chocolate, very little espresso, very little dark malt, very little complexity or intensity. Give me a Bells Expedition Stout over this any da.

I think maybe I dont like Dopplebocks. Bell’s usually makes quality brew, so Im sure this is a good bock. Im just not fond of too much detectable alcohol. But this is a beer that is pretty complex and I m sure fans of the style would like.

12oz bottle. Pours a somewhat cloudy brownish-red hue with a thin head. Smell is a mild balance of hops and yeast with a mix of tones ranging from citrus to earth to some hints of sugar and spice. Taste is medium-bodied with an initially strong flavor of alcohol, caramel, and spice giving way to the mellower earthy notes detected in the head. Very smooth and flavorful for a potent dopplebock -- definitely worth a try.

A pleasantly cloudy pour with strong notes of birch, currant, and honey. Overall a very enjoyable beer but would admittedly be better in fall or winter. Enjoy as an aperatif.

Amber pour, with a thin, fully receding light beige head, no lace noted. The nose is fruity and timid, with notes of oranges, lightly toasted caramel, lightly toasted grain, cherry skins, light herbal hops and a touch of ethanol. Fruitiness is the boldest component of the nose but even that isn’t very expressive. The flavor is moderately sweet mildly to moderately bitter, lightly acidic, candied maltiness sliding through and adding pleasant complexity towards the finale of each sip. Alcohol is well masked throughout. finishes off-dry, of good length, softly fading away to just a hint of candied malts. The finish is the most dazzling part of the experience. The mouthfeel isn’t very expansive on the palate, medium bodied and whimsical, soft but spiked carbonation, slightly syrupy and sticky. Pretty good, an interesting take on the genre.

Pours a fairly clear copper red, with a small off white head. Yeasty aroma, mild caramel and dark fruits, and mildly roasty malts. The taste is very syrupy sweet, big malt presence, with a more sweeter caramel, as opposed to a richer one. Maybe al ittle too much on the sugary sweet side, but not offensive in any way. I get a little heat from the alcohol in the finish, and the sugars leave a profound sweetness on the palate and the lips in the aftertaste. Decent.

Bottle: Dark ruby, ebony, light head, no lacing. Nose of sweet caramel and nice melanoidin, thick malts, some cherry and wood, light hops to balance the alcohol. The flavor is strong with alcohol though, sappy with hops, nice huge malt and watermelon candyish flavor. Nice body, creamy sweet finish, good doppel. Not much alcohol in the finish and a bit unbalanced. Still tasty.