Tommyknocker Oaked Butt Head Bock

Brewed by Tommyknocker Brewery
Style: Doppelbock
Idaho Springs, Colorado USA

Deep reddish-brown color...almost opaque. Thin head, though with decent lacing. Bold aroma of caramel, oak and vanilla. Front somewhat mirrors the characteristics of the aroma, but is also met with added spice notes...crisp mouthfeel, yet with good body. Taste of vanilla is accentuated in the back, with the subtle addition of fruit...finish is filled with caramel, and just a tiny bite from the high ABV. Despite a few imperfections in the overall appearance and palate, this brew ranks among the top in complexity.

Color is a bright dark amber with good carbonation and a thin tight tan head. Aroma is rich and smoky with sweet caramel notes. Taste is sweet with a faint smoke. Starting with a medium body it goes down very smooth. Finish comes in with a creamy sweetness of caramel and vanilla with a hint of raisin then just the faintest note of oak. In the after taste there is a mild smoke taste with a very light bitterness. This is an excellent brew, its smooth and clean with a mellow complexity. I think its one of the easiest drinking oak aged brews I have had.

Bottle from Knightly Spirits. An amber color appears on the initial pour with a small rim of froth. The nose gives subtle hints of caramelized oak and crusty old bourbon barrel. Flavors include vanilla, caramel, licorice, candi sugar, subtle wood, cola, subtle soy sauce, and more bourbon. This beer finishes dry and malty. Medium body and soft carbonation. Incredibly smooth and easy drinking for the ABV. Awesome brew.

12oz bottle. Deep ruby red-brown, with a patchy off-white head. Sweet alcohol-laced malty aroma, some solid Oak coming through. What a great combination of tastes, the sweetness of the Doppelbock with smoky woodiness of the Oak. Comes off almost like a strong vanilla Rauchbier. Solid vanilla notes. Inventive and delicious.

Pour is nicer than original with a clear, dark, rusty-ruby color and an off-white, yellowish, average, creamy, frothy head which does leave a small frothy layer throughout and some lace. Nose is pleasant and complex with burnt toffee, toasted maple, hints of smoke, light vanilla, light burnt oak, and light roasted almonds. Flavor is nice but not as complex as the nose; oak notes are more prominant and lightly scorched, light toasted toffee, toasted maple, light caramel, faint vanila, faint smoke again. Balance between the oaken notes and the sweet dopple notes is great. Palate is medium, nearly lively, and lightly chewy; not as crisp as most doppels but a nice palate for the beer. Finishes with some of the roasted almonds coming through to match light oak and toasted maple. I thought this beer was great, the oaking was a phenomenal addition a an average beer. Balance was great between the sweet notes and the oak notes, palate was un-bock-like but perfect for the beer, and the complexity was tremendous. Perfect use of oak aging.

Bottle courtesty of aplusbreaks. Thanks, man! Pours a ho-hum average amber with an anemic head and a strong aroma of oaked molasses and caramel, with just a slight touch of butterscotch. Flavor is a rush of port wine oak and caramel, with just a hint of molasses to balance everything out. Flavor fades too quickly; I wanted it to linger a little longer. Feels a bit slippery on the tongue but nothing too spectacular. Overall, another winner from Tommyknocker. I don’t know what it is about this brewer that I like, but I like it.

Bottle courtesy of bleeng. Dark orange pour. Smell has large amount of beef jerky smell. Has a cheesy smoked smell with a taste to match. Tasty though.

Source:12 oz bottle.
Glass:Pint.
Appearance:Ruddy brown pour with a two finger beige head.
Aroma:Vanilla, caramel, toffee and oak.
Flavor:Chocolate, oak, vanilla and spices.
Palate:Full body with soft carbonation.
Overall:A little brash and boozy, but excellent otherwise.