7.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent seasonal release. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light cocoa, raisin, plum, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and light cocoa/earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, light cocoa, raisin, plum, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/spicy bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, nuttiness, raisin, plum, and herbal/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and light cocoa/earthy hop flavors; with nice malt/bitterness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Very clean on lager flavors with zero yeast off flavor notes present. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a very smooth and moderately creamy/bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice doppelbock style. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruity yeast, and light cocoa/earthy hop flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV. This falls short as a chocolate doppelbock, but as a regular doppelbock it is really well done. A very enjoyable offering.