Wagner Valley Sled Dog Doppelbock

Brewed by Wagner Valley Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Lodi, New York USA

Dense looking, ruby body with dark brown highlights. Head is beautiful, looks just like egg-nog, with just a few random holes. Smells or rich malt, honey, roasted hops. Hoever, it is very subdued and gentle. Taste begins cloyingly with pit fruit malt, caramel, and lots of anise. The thing is, where all these flavors would be a lot stronger in a quality double bock, in this beer it seems scaled way back and watery. Purchased at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, NY on my way back from Toronto.

12 oz bottle. Reddish dark umber, small head; malty caramel nose with a hint of licorice, simple but reasonably effective. Very warming alcoholic presence on the tongue initially; syrupy-sweet, very milky in texture, more than a bit cloying with that thick body. Fairly drinkable at a medium-to-slightly low temperature, but well below average for a doppel.

Toasted malt, marzipan, sweet dark fruit. Very, very sweet candy-like aroma. Clear amber with decent-sized tan head that recedes to cover. Toasted malt flavours are lost beneath an overwhelming simple sweetness. Alcohol is noticeable in the finish. Some sherry-like flavours also notable. Initially strong carbonation dissipates quickly leaving a rather plain experience for the tongue. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT and Rastacouere.

Swiftly diminishing beige head. Clear medium brown hue. Rather sweet and alcoholic aroma has tones of brown sugar and rootbeer. Mild tart notes, herbal… Palate proposes a slight acid peak with every sip and a sweet coating aftertaste. English alcoholic feel, mostly candi sugar flavours, ultimately not very pleasant. Medium body, intensely carbonated initially, but it all vanishes after just 2 seconds to appear rather flat…

Redish brown color, medium, fugaceous tan head. Nice aroma of malt and dark fruits. Good flavor of malt and dark fruits. Full body, soft carbonation. Not up to the standard of Celebrator, but still it’s very good.

On tap at Brewtopia ’04. Poured a reddish brown. Aroma was spice. Taste was almost blackberry with some tartiness. Almost like a port with a strong alcohol prescence.

Tasted in NYC. Tasted at brewtopia 04. Copper brown appearance, nice head. Sweet yeasty / bready aroma. Taste is sweet with a nice burnt caramel element.

Brewtopia’04. Smells boozy, malty. Sweet and plum flavors, too much chocolate malt at end. Kind of watery up front then cloying at end. Another less than enthusiastic host not at all interested in chatting amiably about his product.