Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Marshall, Michigan USA

Pours brown in color with a nice quarter inch head that recedes quickly to nothing. Not a whole lot going on in the nose, barely detectable slight coffee.
This is a very interesting combination. Decent doppelbock with just a slight amount of coffee. I’m liking it. Decent mouthfeel.

Initially pours what looks like a black and tan; mahogany bottom and black top. Generally is a dark mahogany color with a medium mocha head that fades to a thin bubbly ring. Aroma is caramel and espresso, with maybe a hint of vanilla sweetness. The taste is not what I expected.....a bitter and dry coffee note up front, with some dark fruit and caramel malt sweetness. Up front it tastes like a coffee brew, but then fades into a doppelbock, which I guess is probably the intent. Taste is almost like Furthermore Oscura.

Tap-pint served. Medium, reddish brown color with a small, white ring of head. Strong, aromatic, dark-roasted coffee aroma. Coffee reduces in intensity quite a bit in the flavor combined with some semi-sweet maltiness, dark fruit, & a touch of dryness. Not a fan of overly sweet doppels, but this one is not too sweet with a pleasant coffee edge. This time it’s a 12 oz. bottle at Lunar Brewing Co. The color is more mahogany/amber with a silky, light tan head. The aroma was more rich espresso that filled my nose after every sip. The flavor added a little molasses sweetness with a hint of smoke and char. Medium+ body and even more enjoyable with the espresso nose.

12 oz. into Duvel tulip. I couldn’t not buy this when I saw it in the store. I’m always up for new flavors in beer, and I’ve never seen a coffee doppelbock. Deep shining ruby in the glass with creamy tan head; looks like a Fuller’s vintage. Used coffee ground aroma over powdery cracker malts. Some nice arching foam lace and relatively deep and slow racing. Mmmm, tasty; the crackery and nicely sweet malts provide a great floor for the light roasty coffee to play on top as just more than an accent. The combination has a vaguely milk chocolate flavor as well, probably just an unintended effect of the roast mixing with the sweetness (but a nice integrator). I was afraid the coffee would stick out like a thin sore thumb, but it doesn’t -- it melds very well with the overall flavor profile. Just a bit too powerful in the alcohol department to be mistaken for a session beer, but the softness of the flavor makes this seem very quaffable. Despite medium body, this is light on the palate. I like it.

Bottle: Courtesy of major0429...pours a cloudy amber with no head. This was very surprising...the coffee seems to hit right off the bat, some notes of caramel malt and a bit of brown sugar noted as well. Very coffee dominant flavor with dark malts, toffee and the brown sugar coming through nicely.

Bottle: The nose showed off the coffee along with a mineral edge and overall was not as expressive as I was expecting. The palate was carbonated and refreshing showing off the flavors from the nose. In my opinion, this is a step down from the stout series from Dark Horse.

The coffee used in this brew is top shelf. Very rich aroma and taste. Moderatly sweet, creamy and smooth. You must like coffee in this one, as that dominates most everything. Melds nice with the dopplebock base.

Draft at Capones. Poured clear light brown with a nice off white head . Aroma was strong with spent coffee grounds. Taste was pretty bold with coffee and not much else. There were notes of toffee and vanilla. I was quite surprised by this. Probably one of the lightest color coffee beer I’ve ever had. Nice mouthfeel and bitter finish.