Tag Archives: Lager

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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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Liquid Gold

Great Lakes Brewing Co. Dortmunder Gold

Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland OH doesn’t call this beer Dortmunder Gold for no reason.  Not only is the name indicative of its amazing color, but it is also an allusion to its gold medal-winning potential.  Dortmunder Gold has won countless awards, and for good reason.  This is an outstanding American Lager that is incredibly drinkable.
Appearance= 5
This may be the most delicious-looking lager beer I’ve seen.  It has a very rich golden color (as the name suggests) that is free of any cloudiness.  When poured into the glass, it has about 2 fingers of head that dissipates after a few seconds, but leaves a thin layer over the top.  This beer leaves a surprising amount of lacing on the glass for a lager beer.
Aroma= 3
There is nothing too special to report about the aroma.  It basically smells like a typical lager; a slight malty sweetness, a bit of grainy, bread-like smell, and bit of hoppiness.  It smells good, but I’m not that impressed.
Taste= 4
This beer is good…. really good!  It has a very good balance of malts and hops.  It starts out with a malty sweetness and finishes with just the right amount of hops bitterness.  It has a medium level of carbonation, but it is very smooth and very drinkable.  The best quality of this beer, however, is its drinkability.  I could easily drink several of these without the taste getting old.
Dortmunder Gold is everything a great American Lager beer should be; complex taste but no overwhelming and very drinkable.  It is easy to see why Great Lakes Brewing has won so many awards for this beer; it’s outstanding.  In fact, you should go drink one…right now!
Verdict= Victory