Capital Blonde Doppelbock

Fairly strong wet dog aroma, not too off putting for me, I happen to love my dog. Caramel cereal notes like golden crisp. Can’t get enough of that golden crisp. Clear bronze, temporary head. Clean, toasted sugar, almost medicinal, herbal finish as if this beer is balanced with spruce in place of hops.

Great Pac NW Hwy 101 Family/Beer Trip 2009
Aroma: Nice malt flavors with a balanced hops.
Appearance: Dark Golden yellow in color, Clear with a light head.
Flavor: Malty flavor was strong with a decent amount of hops. Very flavorful brew.
Palate: Dry Finish, with a Great Mouthfeel.
Overall: Very nice Doppel with a excellent taste.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Pours copper with a little creamy/bubbly white head. Aroma of lightly roasted malt with a touch of something like citrus. Medium plus body with creamy carbonation. Flavor is definitely lightly roasted malt with some hop bitter for balance. Hop is floral/earthy rather than citrus/pine. Fairly tasty.

Clear copper color with a small head. Fruity nose. Rich sweet malty taste with whisps of grape and apple. Creamy mouth feel. Sweet malt finish with just a subliminal touch of hop. There’s a dopplebock brewed less than a mile from my house, Abita Andygator, that some beer geeks argue *can’t really be a dopplebock* because it doesn’t taste like one. Well, I’ve now found another doppelbock that’s very similar to Andygator: Capital Blonde.

I hate the new capital labels; thank goodness it’s the same beer in those bottles. The beer pours perfectly clear with a deep blonde color and a thick white head. The aroma has some honey with some hay and earthy hops. The flavor has some earthy hops up front with some honey and a little saltiness. Some spiciness, generally pretty dry. Pretty nice stuff.

What is not to love about this beer?! Oh my word, it was wonderful from beginning to end. Now, I’m a malt-head (and not a hop-head by any stretch) but from the moment I took a sip I was hooked. It certainly looks a bit odd, to pour a "doppelbock" that looks like a pale ale. But the aroma lets you know that it’s more like a Belgian ale with notes of honey, alcohol, fresh baked bread, a little bit of banana, dried cherries, and caramel. The body has some tingle of carbonation, some alcohol, and some thickness (probably not as thick as the best doppelbocks) and the flavor reaches across the spectrum of the aroma, throwing in a note of cedar wood and a gentle touch of bubblegum. It might be closer to a Belgian golden ale, but whatever you call it, it’s very much worth drinking. I don’t mind the alcohol in the flavor (it wasn’t burning hot, just obviously present) and the overall picture is very very compelling. Bottle.

12 oz. bottle. Amber pour with a medium yellowish white head that recedes quickly. Lots of malt aromas with caramel first and foremost. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel complements the medium/full body and light carbonation. Flavor mirrors the aroma with a large dose of sweet malty goodness, even some roasted flavors, and finally a hit of spicy hops right at the finish. Alcohol is understated. A pretty good doppelbock.

12oz bottle from some random grocery store in asheville north carolina. clear amber pour with a thin to medium white head a ring that sticks around. sweet candy apricot and dark fruit aroma. good slick thin to medium syrupy texture and little carbonation. taste seems on the mild side and complicated at the same time. get hints of sour, bread, honey, vegetables and dark fruits.... seems like a strange combination - but everything is tasty enough. wouldn’t drink a sixer. interesting though.