Fish Tale Detonator Doppelbock

Brewed by Fish Brewing Company/Leavenworth Beers
Style: Doppelbock
Olympia, Washington USA

poured with a nice foamy frothy head. hazy brown color. fruity malty slightly hoppy nose. medium body. warming. nice beer. nice finish. good beer. Had it at Bodega Brew Pub downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin USA

22. Pours crystal clear but ultra-dark (and nearly opaque) deep brown with ruby highlights and a thick moussy tan head. Bubbles don’t so much pop in this head as give up. Sheets of intermittent lace down the side. Surprisingly neutral nose; caramel/nougatty malt sweetness and very little hop. No booze notes. Restrained attack, relatively speaking: medium body, hidden booze, medium carb, lots of flavor. Mid-palate has plenty of dark husky grain, tobacco, black bread, peppery hop. Hop really asserts in the finish, which sticks around for a bit. Very earthy and dark-toned doppelbock. Kind of vicious for such a typically twee and cloying style. Nicely vicious. There ya go, FIsh. That’s better.

Bottle. A properly named doppelbock! Dark brown pour with copper edges. Huge sweet malty aroma, that reminds of the nose off of a barleywine. Dark malty flavor with raisins, blackberries, caramel, hazelnuts and walnuts. Smooth drinking but with a great lingering finish. Loads of great flavor without heaviness you would expect from such a malt-heavy beer.

Thanks Presario for sending . I have found several samples of this style I have enjoyed. A tasty drinkable dark brown and reddish highlights concoction, with an acceptable amount of sourness. The cask characteristics added to complexity of taste.

Bottle: Thanks Brian Puts a deep chestnut brown lager with some ruby highlights in the glass...3 finger tight pored cap lasts and laces well. Aroma of dark toasted breads, figs, mocha, grass some fusil, light woody tones...lush smell to this one. Profile: In the front side you bite down on dark (almost charred) toasty malts, this gives a burnt raisin toast effect as the woody-herbal Hallertauers dig in their heels to balance...mid palate this gets more complex: smoked figs, some walnut skin astringency, woody-earthy tones run just below the roast malts...surprisingly this rich dark lager finishes up dry with some hop bittering and charred black malt astringency taking over. A very good bock teasing sweetness bur never going there...covers it’s alcohol well, herbal hopping, earthy-wood tastes from the barrel aging...very well done drinkable dunkler bock.

Dark mahogany with a thin head. Sweet malt aroma with a little vanilla and oak. The taste is obviously a sweeter malt, but it’s a little dusty too. Some wheat and oak as well. Very well made.

May 2005 Bottle. Pours dark brown (mahogany colored when held up to light) with a quickly fading head that leaves a white ring around the glass. Dark caramel, light wood, sweet syrup and a little peat in the nose. Flavor has notes of sweet dark caramel, cola, molasses, some smoke, light oak, raisins/dates and a light noble hop character. Medium bodied with a very smooth, slightly thin body and subtle, fine carbonation. Drinks very easily considering it’s 8 % abv (really?). Enjoyable stuff.

Bottle. Notched "May." 2007 I’m assuming. Pours deep dark brown (almost black) with hints of amber. Decent one finger head with nice lacing. Aroma of a heavily malted barleywine. Slightly smoke (bacon?). Quite rich smelling. Hint of sweetness. Creamy on the palate with average carbonation. Quite dry flavor profile. Shades of the "bock" maltiness. Oak. Bourbon spiciness (clove?). Finishes quite dry. Maybe revisit in a year or 2 as I do think that it has potential.