Fort Collins Dopplebock

Brewed by Fort Collins Brewery
Style: Smoked
Fort Collins, Colorado USA

Pours a rubied brown with a small amount of frothy tan head, edgy and bubbly, with some lined lacing. Aroma is candied smoked malt (meal, straw, cookie) and yeast (dark warm dough) with notes of fruit (cooked bananas, pears, prunes) and wood. Initially creamy and sweet caramel roasted nutty malt with a hint of yeast, then mild acidity and bitterness barely comes through, sweetened ashy wood and ham, light fruit notes. Medium bodied and smooth, fizzy and refreshing palate.

Orange-hued plum in color. Stiff light-beige foam clings nicely. Polished aroma of smoked bread, minerals, beets, and hints of iron. Slight oxidation. Dense and fluffy carbonation. Initially grainy and fruity, which delays the pillowy malt onset. Lush notes of bready malt soon emerge to accompany the vibrant but understated velvety smoke. Fairly unclean due to the relatively high level of black cherry fruitiness, but the malts are well extracted and lend ample structure. Dainty peach fruitiness is present, but is so ripe it possesses all succulence and nary a trace of acidity. Softly textured malts gel seamlessly with the slick fruitiness as the Munich lends a firm candylike sweetness that vivifies the subtle breadiness. Alcohol is entirely imperceptible. No warmth or astringency whatsoever. Finishes soft as satin and gracefully malty - but not quite beefy with malt or smoke either - with the perfect level of attenuation to provide balance and drinkability. Not sure why they say this is “double smoked” as it could actually use more smoke. With that said, Ft. Collins is making some very fine lagers (quite clean and vibrantly malty), though there’s no denying they all suffer from being filtered. This is wonderful stuff, but a liberal dose of noble hops (for both flavor and bitterness which it seriously lacks [Hallertau please!]) would catapult this into heavenly status.

12oz bottle-A dark brown with a tan head which has an aroma of smoke. Taste of malt and smoke. Damn good tasting beer.

Pours a deep brown-garnet color with clarity and a pillowy, decent-sized, light tan head with good longevity. Nose is great; nutty and rauch smoke hit the front with toffee, chocolate, a faint fruitiiness and light roast backing. Flavor is an interesting mix of rauch and dopplebock flavors. A spicy smoke flavor is prominant with chocolate, caramel, light roast, and raisins backing throughout; bitterness is low to medium but balances nicely. Palate is soft to lively, round, and with a medium body. Finish is bitter-sweet and somewhat smokey. The rauch malt adds a great complexity to the beer and really masks the alcohol. Surprisingly drinkable and definately worth the try of a creative comination of great German beers. After a year of aging... not much has changed but the rauch notes are more forward which I didn;t particularly like. I like this one better fresh.

Pours red with a nice creamy head. Smells smoky with some nice underlying fruittiness. Taste is of caramel, smoke, dark fruits and doughy yeast. The smokiness really adds an additional layer of enjoyment to what would have been a great beer on its own.

This smoked beer pours a dark brown color from a 12oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is smoked malt, smoked cheese and cherries. Medium bodied smoked beer. Malts are caramel, smoked malts, dark fruits and brown sugar, It smoke and rich, but the smokiness is not smack you in the face with a side of bacon like Schlenkerla but the smoke is there. Nice balance. Smooth taste. Malty and smoky. Can’t believe this beer is 10.2% ABV, Hides the alcohol VERY well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet and smoky.

Bottle. Deep copper in color with a little head. Very nice fruity malty aroma. Plum and raisin notes. Smokey. Smooth tasting. Malty and hoppy flavor. Smokey and caramel toasty notes. Smooth. Full bodied. Well balanced beer. Mouthfeel is lively.Very nice beer. Enjoyable. Very nice.

12 oz bottle. Brown/amber with a nice, lasting head. Freakin fantastic aroma. Taste is pure smoked malts reminiscent of AK Smoked Porter. Cracked grains are dry enough to take away any of the oilyness that the almost Liquid Smoke flavor puts off. Real BBQ in a bottle and I like it. I call the Schlenkerla "bacon beer" and now I can happily call this "campfire beer". I find the mouthfeel, body, flavor and lack of thickness especially, done very well. Bring on the baby backs!