Schloss Eggenberg Urbock 23°

Brewed by Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg
Style: Doppelbock
Vorchdorf, Austria

12 oz bottle. Luminous slightly hazy gold with a faint head diminishing quickly into a small ring...alcohol, almonds and brown sugar waft into the nose, caramel and vanilla increasingly noticeable with warmth...brown sugar, pine and neutral alcohol in the viscous, slightly syrupy body...booze is a bit too harsh at the finish. Somewhat disappointing.

Aroma is malty but also extraordinarily smooth. Flavor is also malty of course, taffy candy and orange cognac elements showing through prominently. No head and minimal lacing, but from what I’ve seen that’s normal for this style. Medium amber color. Alcohol is quite evident in the flavor but that’s actually nice because it balances the sweetness of the malt and adds to the cognac element. Very rich mouthfeel, sort of like cold cocoa (albeit without said flavor element). Just a touch of hops on the finish, but this style seems to dictate underplaying hops even at this stage. I’d recommend Urbock 23 if not simply for a good example of the Doppelbock style.

Smells primarily malty and hints at the high ABV. Color is an unexpected bright blond, but the aroma is all dark doppelbock. Very lively in my .5 L boot glass. Head is fizzy and frothy, about an inch tall. Very flavorful and incredibly rich; creamy and smooth with some cedar and apple elements coming through. Perhaps a dash of pepper gives it a slightly spicy edge. Feels creamier, thicker and heavier in body than the viscosity suggests.

For the first 2/3rds of the beer, the alcohol is borderline too heavy, and as we get to the last 1/3rd, it drowns out the flavor. Noble hops help to balance the heap of malts for most of the tasting. Deep, warming finish, almost a fiery burn at the back of the through. Astringent feeling at the back of the tongue. Chafing like dryness on the middle/center part of the tongue. Aftertaste reminds me of how an Irish Whisky resonates in the palate. Long story short: good beer for the first 2/3rds but too acidic and astringent in the last 1/3rd.

Cerveza para amantes de la cerveza. Es peculiar aunque esta muy buena. Mucho sabor a malta. Podriamos decir que es una cerveza "antigua"

Honeyed and grassy with a nice soft sweetness on the initial sip. leads into vanilla and apple flavors with a touch of orange zest. Very well done nicely balanced beer.

Bottled: Golden coloured. White dense head. Grass, alcohol and fruit in the aroma. Sweetness, honey, alcohol and fruit in the flavour. The alcohol takes over almost anything in this beer. Too much for my likings.

Medium orange gold color. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is sweet orange and malt. A medium bodied dopplebock. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are slightly spicy. Lots of orange flavors in this one. Fairly large alcohol bite and a lot of alcohol oiliness at 9.6%. Still with all that alcohol it a fairly smooth beer. Definitely a sipping beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and dry. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Dark golden yellow with a ring of bubbles. Aroma is sweet sugar with some euro-skunk. Flavor has some light fruits and residuel sugar. Finishes sort of dry.