Plank Heller Doppelbock

Brewed by Brauerei Plank Laaber
Style: Doppelbock
Laaber, Oberpfalz/Bayern, Germany

Pours a nice somewhat hazy (from sediment or something - not bothersome) amber with a fairly thick and persistent white head. Crisp aroma is mainly malty with an undertone of fruit. Flavor is richly malty with hints of apple and banana and just a touch of caramel. Texture is sharp, tingly and fizzy.

16.9 oz. bottle poured a hazy golden amber with a lasting off white head. Aromas of wheat, yeast, graininess, honey and light fruittiness. Palate was medium bodied and crisp with a smooth finish. Flavors of wheat, honey and light fruittiness with a smooth lightly sweet finish.

Pours a mostly clear gold with a nice white head. Aroma is really malty with honey and wheat bread. Flavor is slighly bitter on the finish with a good dose of sweet maltiness. Not bad at all. Walk the plank matey.

Sampled at Famous Liquors Fall /Oktoberfest Tasting in Lombard, IL.. Poured to plastic a clear and deep amber, with some off white, bubbly foam and modest lacing. The nose was malty, slightly sweet, with some hints of caramel. Initial moderate hop bitterness, toasty malt and some dark fruit sweetness made up the flavor. A good medium+ strength Doppel.

Bottle from Binny’s Beverage Depot in Plainfield, Illinois: It poured a deep golden body with a tall and creamy off-white head. The aroma was very sweet, worty, with little to check it. The flavor was much the same with just a touch of hoppy spices and a hit of alcohol. The finish was sticky sweet. Actually, not too bad.

Bottle. Pours a rich deep golden, that is nearly opaque with a moderate creamy off-white head that leaves big lines of creamy lacing which slowly fade away. Aroma is sweet, with an unrefined malty character with some bready notes. A very light and simple doppelbock that lacks the rich, roasty chocolatey notes that define a great dark doppelbock. When there’s this much malt at play I find it gets a bit cloying and grating without a nice roasty backbone, and you don’t get that in the heller. Basically grainy with a bit of a spicy bite, some noble hop spiciness. Not bad, but not exciting. Full bodied. 5 4 6 3

Bottle: Slightly hazy deep orange golden pour with a creamy off white head that sticks around. Rich malt aroma- some mild fruit notes in the backgroud of apricot- some freshly baked bread character mesh with a spicy hallertau hop note giving it an anise like suggestion. Great rounded creamy body. Flavor has a firm malt character. Slightly doughy, yet has toasted nuances and subtle fruit suggestions- apricot preserves on freshly baked toast. It’s also balanced by a grassy noble hop presence on the back making the richly malty fore drinkable. A nice hellerbock.

500ml bottle. Pours a beautiful golden color, thin white head. Sweet malt aroma. Hints of corn. Flavor has a bold rich malt. Well toasted malt. Crisp, big hop bitterness to match the sweet malt. Very well rounded. It’s a big beer. ABV is quite calming.