Brew Reviews

Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock

Availability: 2000 vintage; limited quantities still available, but once they're gone, this won't be obtainable outside of someone's private stock.

Price comparison: About 2½ times the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 8% at bottling in 2000.

Cute bottle/label? Standard-shaped 25 ounce brown glass with a purple and gold metallic label. The whole thing was wrapped up in purple and ecru giftwrap.

Appearance: Translucent amber brown with a thick ivory head that left very little lace.

Scent: Yeast and malt prevalent with some citrusy hops and a light potpourri of spices.

Flavor: The yeastiness, spices, and a hint of caramel reminded me somewhat of rye bread. Heavy (natural) carbonation and a delicately bitter finish camouflaged the high ABV.

Impressions: This was pleasantly drier than other doppelbocks I've had, and the amount of yeast left in the bottle after three years leads me to believe it'll only get better over time.

Will I buy this beer again? I'm gonna buy one more to hold onto for next year.

Rating:

4 out of 5 cute beer glasses

Eku 28

DISCLAIMER .... DRUNK REVIEW.

Price comparison: A little over twice the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: The label says 11%; the guy at the IHOD says it's been aged to the point where it's far beyond that and I believe him. He estimates it at a 25%. I personally couldn't pinpoint it that accurately even if I were sober. Which I am not.

Cute bottle/label? Slender, graceful 11.2 ounce brown glass bottle. Available in six-packs, but I didn't bother, just bought one bottle. It's enough.

Appearance: Bright clear orange; fizzy head that settled almost instantly into a thin ring of lace.

Scent: Ka-booze. Sugar, sweet fruits, malt, but the predominant aroma is that of unadulterated alcohol. In a good way.

Flavor: Very sweet and warming; a mixture of fruits and some toasted coconut, I guess. If I were at an official beer tasting, I'd get laughed out of the room, because the finish honest-to-God reminds me of honey-nut Cheerios.

Impressions: This was my first experience with an Eisbock, and I am indeed impressed. Whoa. This hit me harder than either of the Dogfish Head high-alcohol offerings. Do not, I repeat, do not gulp; for one thing, it burns a little going down if you don't sip it, and for another thing, you shouldn't need to. I drank this nicely out of a glass and still managed to get plastered.

Do this for yourself at least once in your life. Even if the IHOD kid is wrong about the final ABV, it's definitely more than 11% beer we're dealing with.

Will I buy this beer again? It's good. And even at twice the price of national-brand beer, it's more cost effective than scotch.

Rating:

5 out of 5 GOLD CHALICES

Celebrator Doppelbock

Recommended by: ska-t

Price comparison: About the price of everyday beer.

Alcohol percentage by volume: 6.7%

Cute bottle/label? Fourpack of standard-shaped 11.2-ounce brown glass with an old world-style woodcut-looking label. Also the first beer I have ever purchased that came with a "toy surprise": a goat-shaped plastic charm hung round the neck of the bottle with red string. Methinks I smell four new ornaments for the Christmas tree.

Appearance: Poured as dark and opaque as the bottle itself, with a thick tan head and sticky lace.

Scent: Extreme sweetness. Molasses, malt, dried berries.

Flavor: Malt was the first flavor I detected, but it was quickly chased by a melange of very sweet flavors: black grapes, cashews, dark brown sugar. A nice finish of hops and light alcohol, not dry.

Impressions: This double bock fits its purpose, that of being a sweet, relaxing, full-bodied beer, extremely well. It's pretty easily drinkable but a bit cloying in terms of wanting more than one in a sitting; however, it's got a high enough alcohol content that you can do just one, say instead of coffee after dinner, and be happy.

Will I buy this beer again? I absolutely recommend this beer as the best example of a double bock that I have ever tasted. I'm not usually a fan of this style, and I don't think I'll be buying it for home, but I'd have no problem ordering it in a tavern, particularly if they had a fireplace and comfy chairs.

(Question: if you order this in a bar, do they let you keep the toy surprise?)

Rating:

3 out of 5 cute beer glasses