Indian Wells Lobotomy Bock

Brewed by Indian Wells Brewing
Style: Doppelbock
Inyokern, California USA

Poured a clear deep mahognay color with a beige head. The aroma was of chocolate and prunes with notes of tobacco. The flavor was light and dull with short dark fruits and short sweetness. Light body.

Poured into a Celebrator glass. Dark ruby brown color with a thin tan head. It dissipates quickly and the resultant halo is constantly replenished with streaming bubble columns. Looks very fizzy and thin. Aroma is deep dark breads with artificial banana notes. Nutty and a bit roasty. Flavor is toasted bread with a touch of char as if the bread was left in the toaster a little too long. Weakly brewed coffee, with a blatantly watery finish. On one hand this beer is very watery for the strength, but on the other hand I don’t taste any booze at all. Not sure how they managed that. Overall way too thin and simple.

Sampled June 2009
A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four-finger thick, very lightly browned, tan colored head. The beer is a dark, concentrated, well burnt amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, bright ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells thick and sweet with a ton of bright fruitiness that reminds me of raisins, and prunes. The malt is pretty big in the nose, concentrated malt notes even start to get into the savory side of the spectrum, though they predominantly are sweet. There is a brightness to the sweetness here that seems to be lacking in the rich, complex sweetness that I really like to find in a strong Bock; it is almost a bit too simple-sugar focused, more caramelization and Maillard browning richness would be a welcome addition that is lacking in this beers aroma. This doesn’t seem to be the cleanest fermentation profile either as there seems to be some bubble-gum like aromatics here and a touch of fusel alcohols that provide a touch of warming. The aroma is actually pretty enjoyable, but it is more of a Belgian interpretation of a Bock. I am able to pick out notes of cotton candy, caramelize fruit notes, perhaps a hint of toasty malt and just a wisp of underlying malt richness.

Wow, fairly light bodied and not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggested; this last makes it all the more apparent how un-Lager like the fermentation character in this beer is, definitely not a good example of a clean Lager fermentation. The beer is actually quite thin for a Bock, much less a amplified DoppelBock. I do like that this isn’t nearly as sweet as I was dreading, the sweetness that is here is a bit simplistic and is missing that rich, concentrated malt depth that should be in a decent version of anything with Bock on the label. The relative dryness does allow the toasted, dark malt character to come out a bit more. The beer finishes with a toasted, biscuit like and browned bread crust character. There seems to be a touch of phenolics here almost, though it is more like some fusel alcohol notes in the finish. The lack of overt sweetness also seems to make the fruitiness here lean towards the almost tart plum / prune side of the spectrum.

I am a bit conflicted on this beer, from a stylistic standpoint this beer is a complete mess, but it is actually not half bad, especially if you think of it as a Belgian interpretation of a DoppelBock. In the end though the body and flavor is lacking the richness and complexity that is need to really carry this beer.

Clear mahagany color with a light tan head. Malty sweet cotton candi and rootbeer spice aromas. Light/medium body. Thin flavors of sweet dark bread with mild molasses.

Poured a dark amber color with a small, light tan head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of caramel malts, nuts, toast, and wood. Taste of sweeter caramel, roast, toast, some nuttiness, smoke, and a smooth finish.

Thanks to hopdog for sharing this one. Pours a deep brown with some amber notes and a smaller off white head. Aroma of nuts, toasted malt, caramel and some toffee. Flavor of the same with some chocolate coming through. A bit sweet.

12oz bottles acquired in trades with BMan1113VR & lb4lb (thanks!). Poured a dark brown color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of nuttiness, roasty, and caramel. Tastes of nuts, lighter roast, chocolate, and caramel. No way I would have pegged this one at over 10%.