Left Hand Smoked Goosinator Doppelbock

750 ml bottle, 2005 edition corked and caged. Bought at College Liquors about two years ago. Pours out a dark brown color with a medium tan head. Even though this version was prior to the smoking, there was a lot of smoky notes, rich caramel and toasted malts. Sweet and flavorful, but very mellow. I assume the age has mellowed this quite a bit. Nice.

Bottle: Poured a clear deep amber color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of of sweet malt with a side of toffee and light lingering finish of smoke malt. Taste is also very interesting with a well balanced mix between some smoked malt with some toffee and caramel malt. Body is full with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I very much appreciated the balance between smoke and caramel and toffee malt.

Nice aroma of smoked malt and fruits. Pours a clear amber color with almost no head. Good, rich flavor of smoked malt and fruits. The body is light to medium while the carbonation is soft. Well-done and interesting.

2007 Bottle.

Toffee pour, good-sized tan head with persistant lacing. I’m finding it a bit of a challenge to really dig in and enjoy this one. The smoke is nice particularly in the aroma, but it’s a bit on the sweet side and a bit thin in flavor beyond that milky sweetness, and certainly thin in body. (Compare Bov’s review below; I concur). I see a number of possibilities here. One is that I’m simply a lamer and that I don’t appreciate a good smoked beer. Entirely possible. Another is that Left Brewing is not exactly my favorite brewery. Might be, but to their credit they’re rocking two of the top ten smoked beers on the site. Another is that I screwed up by letting this sit for two years. Again, unlikely given the style.

Rating #183 for this beer.
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2007 Bottle Conditioned

1/10/2009: Left Hand Smoked Goosinator Doppelbock Lager... Aroma: Sweet and smoky! Nice blend sugary toasted and caramelized malts with a slightly meaty smokiness. Appearance: Attractive red-brown color; mostly clear; lively carbonation; fine bubbles; frothy beige head. Flavor: Wow! It’s rich and sweet and smoky! Fruity caramel gives way to sweet turbinado sugar to smoke to cocoa bean/mocha-like finish; lightly roasty overall. Palate: Medium-full and very smooth. Overall: Very well-balanced beer; Very well-done; Better and more smoky than LH SmokeJumper!

1 Pint 9.36 fl. oz. corked and caged bottle from Jungle Jim’s International Market in Fairfield, Ohio. Score: 7/4/8/3/17=3.9
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2007 Bottle Conditioned

8/13/2009: Left Hand Goosinator 2007... Aroma: Applewood smoked crystal malt; great sweet-smoky blend!. Appearance: Really nice brown color, bug and fluffy beige head. Flavor: Mild to moderate deep smoke, somewhat oxidized that works really well this this beer; hints of chocolate. Palate: Medium-bodied, smooth. Overall: Still holding up really well for the age. I like how the smoke is coming out more.

750 mL corked and caged bottle shared by metmayhem. Thanks! Total Score: 3.6

2007 edition. Hazy brown colored brew. Smoked aroma. Milky thick, smoky, malty, sugar. Creamy.

courtesy of Allen; 2007 vintage - slightly reddish-brown colour with a poor head retention; solid smoky aroma of bacon and cold ashes; medium-bodied at best (particularly failing short on the end of the tongue); late and very bitter with a long hoppy smoky finish - very weird and lacking of complexity and body

Bottle from Easy E. Shared at SL. Thanks brother!. Sugary brown in color. Nice head. Smokey aroma. Taste is smokier then the nose. Lots of roasted malts and brown sugar. For a bottle that was produced in 2007.. this was really good. Easy drinking...Thanks sparky27