Ettaler Curator Doppelbock

Brewed by Klosterbrauerei Ettal
Style: Doppelbock
Ettal, Germany

Pours clear and beautiful red-black with about two fingers of loose off-white head. Aroma is super-sweet...all molasses and raisins. Thick in the mouth with a little toffee and coffee (toffee/coffee?!?...Hey, I calls ’em like I sees ’em...). Something seems a bit off with the flavor, kind of a fishy thing going in the middle here...may need to try a different bottle...’till then I’m forced to hum it..."Flavor" and "overall" are tanking due to this off flavor...I’ll try another and re-rate...

Bottled. Poured a darker tea brown with a majestic 1.5" initial cap of creamy beige head... settled down to a loose beige dusting after a minute or so. The aroma was quite sweet and complex with notes of rich molasses, burnt figs, caramel, dry-roasted chocolate, and sweeter herbs were in there.. among others. The flavor was rich and chock fulla toasty dark malts... semi-sweet chocolate, coffee, molassess, toffee, plums, figs, and complimentary alcohol laced throughout. Heavy almost to the point of being syrupy on the palate. The warm finish left a sticky blackstrap molasses feel in the lips with hints of dark fruit. Very good stuff!

Dr. Pepper brown, dark yet clear with a lasting white head. Vegetal notes take a long time to fade above the dry, roasty malts below. A toffee sweetness also gets covered. It opens up late with additional ABV notes. Light stickiness to a smooth, middle-weight body. There’s no denying the alcohol which appears up-front in the flavor from the get-go. Sweet, caramely dark malts precede a quick finish of bitters. Oh yes. Finally. Let this warm.

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Deep dark brown color with a medium tan head and patchy lacing. The aroma is bready malt and fruit. Medium-bodied and creamy with roasted malt, fruit (raisins) and caramel flavors. The finish is tart and fruity with touches of malt. A decent enough beer, although it doesn’t really fit into the Doppelbock flavor profile that I prefer.

A rich aroma of raisins or dates and a maltiness that sort of sets it off from better than average. A very dark brown pour with almost no head and a weak lacing. A flavor of sweet dried fruit. Not much more than that but a full well rounded fruitiness. A palate that is just a shade better than average. It is rich without being thick. The carbonation is just a tad over but overall a solid palate. Overall a beer I would call well above average for the style. I had a Celebrator last night this beer is very close but just a tad rough around the edges.

500 ml bottle. Dark brown ruby tinted brew with a thin tan/light brown head. Aroma is very malty, sweet rye toast, a bit of wheat, light plummymalts as well. Demerera sugar and some toffee. A light herbal/grassy hop character as well. Warming brings up some sweet vineous and cherry fruit notes. Sweet and toasty finish with a lingering chewy plummy character. Creamy texture. Warming draws out a bit of vanilla/chocolate, raisin and mint on the back of the palate. Great balance and a lovely beer.

I was promised flying cars by the year 2007, or the next best thing, a doppelbock very nearly like the Celebrator. Unfortunately this doesn’t fit its billing. It’s more like a scotch ale. Syrupy, tart, hints of smoke. Not nearly a mouthfeel worthy of the world’s finest doppelbocks. Where’s the cracklng, crisp flavor-burst at the finish?

Noteworthy points for appearance. Not the deepest dark doppel, mind you, but a big fat head, exactly a thumb’s width. Doesn’t live up to the appearance standards of Pamela Anderson’s GREAT ASS! in her prime, but by beer standards, it’s nevertheless wood-inducing.

Sample poured from a bottle at the Winking Lizard Tavern (Crosswoods) in Columbus, Ohio on 1/23/2007... Another really good doppelbock that has been added to the list of beers to pick up again and sample in a private setting...