Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock

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

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of fresh, bitter coffee, and a hint of caramel. Poured very deep amber/copper/brown in color with a very small, tan head that lasted around the edges only. Cloudy. Sparkling. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of fresh, bitter coffee, and slight caramel. Medium body. Slightly dry texture. Average carbonation. Fresh, bitter coffee finish. Not much of a Doppelbock. 7.5%ABV is hidden.

Pours a foamy brownish red, with some grainy floaties suspended in the glass - the aroma is an interesting mix of the caramel and raisin of a doppel and the bitter and nutty character of coffee - the coffee used is either of poor quality, or poorly extracted in the brewing process, though, as the coffee smells old and/or crappy - full carbonation in the mouth - flavors of old coffee and tobacco leaves - a bit of caramel and nutty character - a little fruity on the back - quite a bit of alcohol flavor in the finish, but not much of a burn - it’s decent, but the poor quality of the coffee makes it less enjoyable.

Thanks to Mike for sharing this. Vegetal, smoky, cinnamon, calm caramel flavor, with a heady smack of liquid smoke. Only a little coffee. A bit muddy, yeasty, dirty. Not the best.

Bottle: The aroma is a nice combination of coffee and chocolate with some faint toffee and fruit. It pours a transparent reddish-brown with a minimal beige film for a head that quickly fades to a very thin ring around the edges of the glass. The flavor has moderate coffee throughout that blends with some light chocolate, caramel, and a faint sour fruitiness in the finish. Pretty tastey, but the coffee additions pretty much turn this into a porter...at least flavor-wise. The doppelbock character is mostly hidden behind the coffee. Medium bodied with a slightly syrupy and sticky mouthfeel.

A "coffelbock," what’ll they think of next? Appearance: Pours a dark reddish-brown body with a thin, wispy off-white head. Smell: Dark malts and raisins bookended by the sharp scent of used coffee grounds. Taste: Dark maltiness with flavors of caramel and dark fruits tenuously co-mingle with the rehydrated coffee grinds. Subdued sweetness throughout. Mild acidity. Not much in the way of hops. Sweetish coffee-marinated fruit finish with a touch of booziness. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Mild carbonation. Slight stickiness. Drinkability: True, I was more than a bit wary of this combination, but it turned out alright.

Tap at Sugar Maple. The beer pours to a dark ruby red body with a thin white head. The aroma is strongly coffee laden dark malts. The flavor is a sweet brown sugar malt with a strong black coffee back. The beer definitely has a long lasting lingering sweetness on the palate. The coffee isn’t too bitter or acetic. A nicely balanced beer but it was definitely a sipper.

12 oz bottle, via lb4lb. Pours a slightly cloudy amber body under a one finger fizzy off-white head that faded to a partial covering. A good bit of carbonation. Nice light-roast coffee with nutty toasted husky malt. Some light hops. Not as intense with the coffee as I was hoping, but it’s still nice. The flavor is quite unique, the coffee really balances the Doppelbock sweetness to make it extremely drinkable. Burnt caramel, chalky yeast, a touch of alcohol and cereal grains. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a very slight clinginess on the finish and lots of fizzy carbonation. I liked this, a little unusual, but it works for me.

12oz bottle, courtesy of a trade from a while ago?? Thanks! Pours a clear, bright orange-amber color; light tan head with patchy fine-bubbled lacing. Tons of coffee and caramel in the aroma, though the coffee dominates: decently roasted with chocolate notes; slight greenness. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: pleasant, chewy caramel and nougat beneath a strong roasted coffee presence; nice balance between the coffee and the creamy doppelbock character, though the coffee itself could be better: slightly green and closer to Folger’s than anything more intricate. Still, reasonably tasty stuff, and I don’t normally care all that much for coffee-infused beers. Medium finish showing caramel and dough; coffee coming through as roast.