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Doppel Bock 2005

Published March 2005, Volume 26, Number 1

Sudwerk Brewing Co.
Davis, CA

This doppelbock is brewed with a double mash process where only the first worts of each mask are collected in the 60 barrel kettle for boil. (The second worts are sent to a smaller kettle and are boiled separately to produce a dunkel.) The grain bill requires two mashes, with pale grains divided almost evenly between Munich and pale two-row malts, crystal and caramel malts, and chocolate malt. The beer is hopped with Hallertau Perle, Hallertau Heresbrucker, and Tettnang hops.

Alcohol (wt.): 6.3
Alcohol (vol.): 8.0
Color: 30
Bitterness: 30
Gravity: 1083

  • Fred Eckhardt

    Is this really an American beer? It reeks of Germanic richness. Start with the great color: a splendid, deep and brilliant mahogany. This delicious brew passes by its oddly ordinary nose to a really fine palate; a beer so rich and malty that one can barely restrain oneself. The malt factor projects a mellow “toffee” effect. Thinking about the fine taste of this beer brings one to salivate for more, even while swallowing what is in the mouth! I like this beer.

  • Garrett Oliver

    It pours a beautiful deep red with brown highlights, like an old Burgundy. The head is thick and creamy. The nose shows toasty malts with a hint of roast. The palate is an elegant balance between malt sweetness and robust hopping on a full-bodied frame. A bit of roast shows through into the finish. This beer doesn’t taste German at all: it has none of that toffee flavor of German malt, and it’s quite hoppy. That said, it is a masterful piece of work. Put it up against some good barbecue.

  • Michael Jackson

    Extraordinarily big, deep aroma, reminiscent of toasted nuts and orange oil. Creamy café-au-lait head. Attractive mahogany color. Slippery-smooth body. Syrupy and spicy, with a slight quinine astringency. Powerful flavors. Dark sambuca with darker chocolate biscotti. Warming alcohol kicks in quickly—and stays. A good example of a doppelbock, from one of the best lager-brewers in the U.S. A warmer for winter, or early spring.

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