Tag Archives: Doppelbock

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Epic Brewing Double Skull Doppelbock

Epic Brewing Double Skull DoppelbockSpring has just begun, but I’ve been on a bock and doppelbock for a while now. Rogue Dead Guy is a favorite of mine, and Brooklyn’s Silver Anniversary Lager is amazing, but I have also been trying some new beers within this style as well. On that list is a bomber of Epic Brewing Double Skull Doppelbock Lager, which my brother was kind enough to share with me. As the title suggests, this is a doppelbock, which means it’s high in alcohol (9% ABV) and big on flavor.

Double Skull is part of Epic’s Exponential Series. Beers in this series tend to be higher quality brews that are released in somewhat limited batches with the release number and date printed on the label. Sadly, I didn’t think to write down which batch this bottle is from.

Double Skull is dark reddish-brown in color with a finger and a half of thick, creamy, light tan head. Retention is fair and as the head recedes, small traces of of wispy bubbles are left behind.

The aroma is dark and made up mostly of malts and fruits. There is a lot of bread and yeast present, as well as raisins and dates. I smell a lot of caramel and chocolate, also. There are some faint hints nutty and grassy notes, and the hop aroma is very mild.

The taste follows the aroma pretty well. The bready, biscuity flavor is very forward with the caramel and chocolate flavors adding some complexity. The roastiness in the malts is quite noticeable. The dark fruits, particularly raisins and dates, provide a lot of sweetness.  There is not much in in the way of hops flavor, save for slight bitterness on the finish. At 9% ABV, the alcohol is hidden very well. Double Skull is medium to full bodied and feels very smooth.

This is only the second beer from Epic Brewing that I’ve had (Wit Beer being the other) and I must say I’m pretty impressed. It is quite sweet, but the flavor is big and complex. Although it won’t rank among the most memorable Doppelbocks I’ve tried, it’s worth trying, for sure.

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Great Lakes Dopplerock

Doppelrock is a beer that I had heard about but had never actually seen in the store. The 4-pack I picked up happened to be the very last one on the shelf, so I didn’t hesitate to grab it. I’ve been a big fan of Great Lakes for a while, so I was quite eager to give this brew a try.

Doppelrock is a doppelbock beer, which, for anyone who may be aware, basically means this is a very dark, malty lager beer. It pours a very dark brown, copper color with about two fingers of creamy, off-white head. Head retention and lacing are fair to good and there is good bit of carbonation in this beer. The aroma is rich with dark bread malts and hint of caramel. It smells quite sweet, and I may have detected a bit of fruitiness (cherries, perhaps).

Doppelrock is a fitting name for this beer because it rocks. The most prominent flavor is the rich bread malts, but I also noticed some chocolate malts as well. Along with the malts, there is also a bit a caramel, and those cherries from the aroma sneak in there, too. It is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. On the finish, there is very little hops flavor, but there is a bit a sting from the alcohol that lingers on the tongue.

I have not had too many doppelbocks, but I’m certainly a fan of the style. After trying Doppelrock, I’m going to seek out some others for sure. Let me know if you have any suggestions. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this particular brew in a store, and since I’m not sure when or where I will be able to get it again, I plan to savor the couple I have left!