Widmer Brothers Double Alt (84/09)

Brewed by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Style: Altbier
Portland, Oregon USA

Bottle... Poured a deep amber with a thick, off white head. Aroma was great! Dark fruits and brown sugars -- very bock like. A little thick and overly carbonated palate. Flavors were ok, similar to the aroma but not as vibrant with a little bit of alcohol. It was good, but not deserving the bigger price tag.

smells and tastes of artificial banana. also brown sugar and finishes with a cheap chocolate taste. Looks fine. Alcohol is a little too aggressive. Not too bad not too good.

Bottle. Pours a thick viscous hazy deep brown with a small white head. Aroma is dark fruits, caramelized malt, molasses, roast, brown sugar, faded hops. Flavor is caramelized sugars, roast, faded hops, bitter old hop caramel finish. Very thick, not very carbonated and kind of a mess but still interesting. Hrmmmm, pretty good for WIdmer.

Bottle. Pours an average dark stout black with a slight chocolate and subtle raisin aroma. Flavor is bloody, coppery smoked chocolate and dull raisin extract. Average mouthfeel. Barf.

6/3/09 from 22oz Bottle. Aroma is rich and earthy with light black pepper and every malt component, from sweetness to roast to toast and even background sourness. Appearance is deep brown with a well maintained cream colored head. Flavor is heavier on malt sourness, which lingers into the finish where it combines with bready toast. Sweetness is medium in intensity with low caramel and a balancing spiciness that stays even with it throughout while still bearing the low bittering typical for the style. Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied with light creaminess, medium grainy bittering. Warmth is low in the actual palate, but quickly comes through as your cheeks warm with every drink. Overall, as big an all-malt beer you’ll find, unquestionably one of the biggest without being pitch black, just tough to have more than one.

Ruby hued dark body. Burnt sugar malts with heavy toffee and caramel notes. A little doughy with hints of peach and raisins. Extremely plain and simplistic. Seems like they tried too hard to make a decent biggie - reminds me of one of many screwed up homebrews.

Mix of garnet and mahogany in color with a razor thin eggshell head that left a single clumpy ring around the glass. Caramel, toffee, and malt in the nose. Quite sugary throughout the sip with a small alcohol burn. Not a ton of depth here...extremely messy and just not very good.

Bottle. Dark amber/copper in color with a medium-size light tan head. A nice looking beer. Aroma has sweet malt and an interesting, slightly ashy roastiness, along with light noble hops. Flavor is spicy, fruity malt with a little bit of roast throughout. The roasted malt and alcohol combine on the back of the tongue to form a rather unpleasant dry and vegetal flavor, along with an astringent aftertaste that’s not good at all. I don’t have any experience with alts, but I can imagine that they aren’t the best style to be doubled or made imperial. In short, basically, the alcohol is far too exposed in this beer and mates poorly with the roast notes.