Millstream 20th Anniversary Dopplebock

Formerly brewed at Millstream Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Amana, Iowa USA

RBSG 2006 - DC Grand Tasting Lineup Mahogany, light head and lacing. Nose of sweet grassy hops, some malts and molasses. Sweet rich flavor, nice aged and pleasant. The finish is sweet, lightly hoppy and a toffee and caramel finish along with the balanced sweetness. Good.

It’s been a few months since I’ve had a bottle so this won’t be the most accurate of ratings. But I really like this beer. I had the pleasure of partaking in somewhere around four bottles of this while it still existed, I believe all of which were consumed in, or at least given to me by Isabella’s Bar in Dubuque Iowa. All these things being said, I’ll get on with it and review the beer. It’s fantastically dark. Pours with no head, I’m not even sure if it’s carbonated at all, I didn’t see a head and the beer is to dark to notice any bubbles, furthermore the mouthfeel of this beer lends nothing in the way of fizzyness to suggest that it is carbonated. However this is all forgiven by the masterful taste of this bold and dark beer. Millstream makes another beer called Schokolade Bock, this reminded me of that just with everything up a few notches. The beer is ridiculously malty, to the point of a pleasant syrupyness at times. No less it is not too malty sweet, it retains a nice balance of sweet and dry flavors. If you can find one, pick it up.

Thanks to Dan @ Gannon for this.. Appears a dark, dense, mahogany color with crimson edges when held up to the light. Smell is of rich malt, vanilla, doughy bread, caramel, brown sugar, with a touch of mild oxidation that is fitting for the style. Taste is of the same aromas. I’m liking the mix, as doppelbocks are one of my favorite styles. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, sugary, brown sugar laden, cakey, and...did I say sugary? Carbonation is nice in this one. It’s like a well done dessert.

Deep cherry brown color with a clearish body and thin, dark sandy brown capping of firm foam. Top fades quickly to a collar and the lacing is drippy in big globby strings with a glare of spots sticking. Aroma is a bit light on the nose, but never the less carries the doppelbock character with a richly dark tone of malts bringing baked raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon bread, dates, and figs. Taste is good; smooth, soft, and malty. Not as lengthy or as bold as most doppels tend to be. The duration of flavors that are found don’t last long. How unfortunate. Because this could be quite nice if it could just reach the next level of needed character, thickness, and boldness. Flavors are lightly dabbled in dark toffee with super tiny slivers of the dark fruityness listed within the aroma along with a small scotchy, earthy rough spot thrown in there. Some watery vanilla middles it out as it ends in a rush, not letting anything gain strength as it finishes. Toffee tends to sit late on the palate with a chewy coating of malty lagered texture. Helping, but still not enough. Feel is shy of medium in body with a wateryish area in the mid ranges. It trys hard to surge ahead in length as it finishes but never makes it as it simmers very softly hinting to the lagered malty texture and semi chewy smoothness that comes with the dopplebock style. So with that, it does make for a decent drinking beer. It’s smooth, soft, and moderately malty with an uncontested short length and character to its body and flavor. An above average doppel, only siding well with me due to its clean crafted profile and well mannered attention and drinkability.

The beer pours to a dark brown body with a thin khaki head. The aroma is lightly nutty and caramelly. Some light wood notes. The flavor is brown sugar, sweet pralines, light nutty chocolate, nice sweet powdered sugar. The palate may be a touch sweet, but it has a good smooth and easy to drink mouthfeel.

Bottle. Tasted at MilkmanDan’s tasting on 9/10/05. Alas! My first Iowan beer! How I have lived in Minnesota for the 3 1/2 years I have been a Ratebeerian and not encountered a single Iowan beer is a bit strange, until you realize that Millstream is it when you look for beers made in Iowa. And, then there’s the fact that they don’t distribute to Minnesota. Caramel aroma with hints of dark fruit. No head or lace really. What little head there is is off-white. Caramel notes carry forward into the flavor. Smooth. Sweet and nice, but undercarbonated. This could be more, but it isn’t bad.

Pours a dark brown that looks ruby when held to the light. Almost no head. The aroma jumps out and grabs you with chocolate, dark bread and some raisins. There is also a light coffee note. The taste is caramel and some light chocolate and coffee. There is also a light plum note in the finish. Slightly undercarbonated. And this was after the brewery waited several weeks to release due to it being bottle conditioned. On the sweeter end of dopplebocks. I hope Iowa changes the abv laws so that Millstream is free to experiment with more beers like this.

Poured a clear amber color with a red hue and thin off-white creamy head. Aroma of raisins and plums. Swwet and malty. The flavor was on the dull side. Sweet and malty with some dark fruit but really just blah. Some bitterness on the finish.