I’ve had Bock beer before, a German lager style featuring some serious malt action and a rich, dark brown color. Figuring a single bock was pretty tasty, a “Doppelbock” would be nearly twice as good, right? These Doppelbocks apparently filled the screaming bellies of olde-tyme Germans with an almost meal-like beer during fasting periods, and they are quite a bit stronger than normal Bocks. Not that I know much about this; I had my first Doppelbock on Tuesday evening, one that was perched on top of the beer snob charts I found in my online research on the style. AYINGER’s Celebrator Dopplebock comes with a great little goat ornament around the bottle neck, which my two-year-old son promptly christened a “horse”. Hey, the thing is small enough to be a choking hazard yet not large enough to be passed off as a legitimate present from Dad. It was in the trash 10 minutes later. The beer itself is quite good. If you can open a beer, take a gulp and immediately tell what continent it’s from, it’s probably got a pretty malty, lagery taste to it – and I’m not talking the US of A, comrade. I’m talking Old Europe. As I understand it, doppelbocks are often somewhat sweet, but this one really isn’t. The malt is intense and the beer could easily be mistaken for a porter, it’s so dark, but if you closed your eyes or did a blind tasting, you could probably imagine it being at least medium-red or even a dark yellow. Oh – and it packs a punch – 6.7% “ABV”. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s “alcohol by volume”, and that’s a lot. I found it easy to down and enjoyable for the 15 quality minutes I spent with it. Not sure if I’m going to sign on for this style for frequent home-based research, but I thought this one was pretty all right & I’d drink it again for sure.
Friday, March 24, 2006
REVIEW: AYINGER CELEBRATOR DOPPELBOCK
I’ve had Bock beer before, a German lager style featuring some serious malt action and a rich, dark brown color. Figuring a single bock was pretty tasty, a “Doppelbock” would be nearly twice as good, right? These Doppelbocks apparently filled the screaming bellies of olde-tyme Germans with an almost meal-like beer during fasting periods, and they are quite a bit stronger than normal Bocks. Not that I know much about this; I had my first Doppelbock on Tuesday evening, one that was perched on top of the beer snob charts I found in my online research on the style. AYINGER’s Celebrator Dopplebock comes with a great little goat ornament around the bottle neck, which my two-year-old son promptly christened a “horse”. Hey, the thing is small enough to be a choking hazard yet not large enough to be passed off as a legitimate present from Dad. It was in the trash 10 minutes later. The beer itself is quite good. If you can open a beer, take a gulp and immediately tell what continent it’s from, it’s probably got a pretty malty, lagery taste to it – and I’m not talking the US of A, comrade. I’m talking Old Europe. As I understand it, doppelbocks are often somewhat sweet, but this one really isn’t. The malt is intense and the beer could easily be mistaken for a porter, it’s so dark, but if you closed your eyes or did a blind tasting, you could probably imagine it being at least medium-red or even a dark yellow. Oh – and it packs a punch – 6.7% “ABV”. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s “alcohol by volume”, and that’s a lot. I found it easy to down and enjoyable for the 15 quality minutes I spent with it. Not sure if I’m going to sign on for this style for frequent home-based research, but I thought this one was pretty all right & I’d drink it again for sure.
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3 comments:
hi there,
i'm a regular reader of "agony shorthand" and now a beer blog, hot damn!
i agree with your review of the celebrator, i found it to be slightly overhyped, although with a nice overall personality i couldn't really deny. anchor bock is also an enjoyable, albeit quiet bock.
also, if you like the anderson valley IPA i would recommend the moylan's double IPA, it's got some crazy citrus with delicious malt to balance it out. balls to the wall but balanced in it's extremes.
I have no idea what Sven just said, but Drakes IPA is also great
Strangely, for me, this is one of a few incredibly hyped beers that I've found lives up to a reputation.
The first one I drank, like yourself I didn't find too sweet, but certainly malty. But as I neared the end, I found it getting much more complex and pleasing.
So... Celebrator #2 I pulled out of the fridge and let warm up considerably before opening. And wow, that extra warmth made a world of difference.
I swear I nearly had a religious experience drinking that beer. With the fruity tastes developing, along with some treacle and the some bready malt, I could smell and taste cherry pie.
You're a bad man... now I am longing for a beer ô¿ô
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