Fish Tale Detonator Doppelbock

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

Rating #700 -- Big thanks to Old_Mr_Crow for bringing this to me from Washington. Great dark ruby, almost black body with a nice ivory head. Very nice aroma, lightly tart with good malts, some fruit is evident. Taste is excellent for the style, HUGE malts, along with nice coffee and toffee accents, some dark chocolate is evident. Ending is pleasently bitter, with a nice sweet-tartness.

From a 12 oz. long neck bottle with a "Spawned On Date" notched along the left side of label, May/2006. Poured a ruby hued, dark coffee brown with a frothy, foamy pale tan head that settled into a creamy thin lacing, small amount of laced sticking. Aromas of mild smoke and a light burnt chocolate, floral and fruity, the aroma reminded me more of a milk stout than a dopplebock. Moderate carbonation and a softly crisp, slick, creamy smooth medium-light bodied mouthfeel. Tastes of sweet, creamy woodiness and roasted chocolate, a light fruitiness that mingles with the alcohol, a touch of smoke and dryish burnt sweet malty finish. Has a nice appealing look, but otherwise, pretty average overall and not very keeping with the dopplebock style.

Very strong rich malt aroma, pours a deep ruby color. No hop aroma only in the flavor of noble hops. Has a slight fruity quality that is not too distracting, plum and raisin. Caramel flavor and aroma possibly from the boil or LONG boil. Very clean lager like with NO DMS or diacetyl. Very well made beer.

22 oz bottle. Clear mahogany with a slim, light tan head. Coffee, chocolate and black olives. Mocha comes through in the taste with caramel. Mild carb, medium light body. Some dryness and tobacco. A little thin. Oak adds nice balance.

What am I looking for in a doppelbock? Big, malty, complex with lots of munich toasted bread notes with just barely enough hop bitterness to carry the malt. Does Detonator deliver? Well no in fact it doesn’t. It has all the elements of a doppelbok, including alcohol, but not enough punch in any of them and the oaky/winey astringency is much too overstated for the style. The wood is not making it complex; it’s making it oak and merlot. I’m looking for the richness of freshly toasted dark bread, but what Detonator coughs up is chocolate and dryness. The alcohol is warming but there are higher alcohols that I can feel right to the back of my head. Here the wine barrel fermenters have not helped this beer at all. This would be a fine beer had it been fermented in stainless steel and with more Munich and less chocolate. A nice drinking beer as a beer, but off the mark for the style.

22 oz bomber, no date. Pours deep mahogany brown with a long lasting, creamy tan head. Complex malt aroma. The flavor is smooth and sweet, blending malt and chocolate together with a subtle, underlying touch of bitterness. Smooth and creamy with all alcohol completely hidden. Very nice Doppelbock.

12 oz bottle pours a reddish brown with a thin head. Nice aromas come off of oak, chocolate, smoke, and some spice. The body is medium but clean like a lager should be. Chocolate, vanilla, wood, and earthy flavors are balanced really well with a little alcohol and spice. Very tasty.

Poured very dark brown almost black with a thick tan head. The first aroma I noticed was oak then a wine scent and some malts. The flavor of this beer is pretty complex with notes of chocolate, malts, wood, red wine, fruits, and brown sugar. It has a a nice body to it as well, very thick and creamy. The alcohol was hidden very well. Outstanding beer !