Great Granny's Cosy Coffee Cocktail
(has 1 batch)

Coffee-flavoured Dutch style Doppelbock by Uiltje - indeed the Dutch 'bokbieren' season is upon us again and it has been a long time since I joined this tradition, which is almost exclusively responsible for the revival of Dutch beer culture in the late 20th century, before the advent of U.S.-inspired craft brewing in the early 21st century. Can from Albert Heijn. Thick, regular, quite dense and rather creamy, audibly fizzing, pale yellowish beige, pillowy head gradually breaking on a clear, deep mahogany brown robe, dark but with fiery copper-red glow when held against the light, showing lots of visible sparkling. Aroma of caramel candy, indeed coffee powder coming in second, toast, brandy, fig, raisin bread, toffee, hints of damp autumn leaves, old dry chestnuts, cinnamon, marmite, pear, black peppercorns, brown bread dough, pond water. Rounded, sweetish onset, clean and sleek dark fruitiness (as in dried fig, raisin and dried prune with a dash of pear), actively but finely prickling carbonation, smooth full body. Caramelly to lightly toffeeish, brown-bready malt core, sweetish but not too outspokenly sweet, instead quite quickly bittered by strong coffee powder, both aromatically and flavour-wise, yet working well with autumn-leafy, somewhat earthy hops, toasty malt bitterness taking over from the caramel and a soothing, soft afterglow of brandy-like alcohol with a touch of clove trailing behind. Smooth and slick, clean but in that sense very typical Doppelbock in all respects - the addition of coffee, which has been done quite generously here, sets it apart, even if it is not the first Dutch 'koffiebok' (in itself of course a whim of postmodern craft brewing as all the classic 'bokbieren' were clean and unflavoured with herbs or things like that). Fit for a benign October night - tasty, very malty and warming, with an 'autumny' feel to it. Uiltje still produces likeable beers despite the Heineken takeover so I for one am not ready yet to let them go...

Can from a local supermarket. Coffee and caramel, brown malts, mocha, coffee beans, bit nutty. Moderate sweet and light bitter. Medium body. Likeable Coffee Doppelbock.

can in hotel room woerden the final Borefts swansong...deep red brown ..thick tan head ...soft sweet caramel toffee fruit nose ...big coffee ..soft sweet caramel toffee fruit malts

Keg at If It Ain't Dutch, Bermondsey. Clear dark amber..Thin foamy white head. Aroma is weak... low key coffee. Flavourwise combines sour edge with light coffee. Followed by a caramel streak. And then a big dose of manic sweetness. Light. Thin. Fizzy carbonation. Long dry somewhat astringent finish. Big and boozy but somehow lightweight.

Toasted malty with notes of coffee roast, caramel and toffee sweetness, toasted grains, full bodied, coffee accented malty finish.

Keg at 'If It Ain't Dutch', Enid Street, 31/07/24. Extremely dark mahogany brown topped with a beige cap that veers to the edge. Nose is dark malts, cocoa powder, coffee bean, dried fruit rinds. Taste comprises dried fruits, hint of roast, coffee dusting, brown sugars, nutty, grains, light spice. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, ]drying close. Not bad.

Tap at the Dutch bar bermondsey. A clear cola brown coloured pour with a a halo of tan head. Aroma is semi sweet, woody, dried fruit cake, brown sugars, bruised fruit light smoke. Flavour is composed of semi sweet, nutty toasted malts, fruit loaf, raisin, light coffee. Palate is semi sweet, boozy, tangy, mellow carbonation.

31st July 2024
Keg at If It Ain't Dutch. Near clear deep amber brown beer, tidy tan head. Light palate, mildly dry, decent fine carbonation. Light brown malts, touches of cream and earthyness. Ripe fruits. A little bourbon biscuit. Light finish. Alright.