This did not taste like a doppelbock in the sense of Ayinger celebrator. It had actually non of the same characteristics. This is was light brown with light head. It was ok but not what i would expect from a doppelbock. 6/3/6/3/13.

Re-rate: almost 3 years later I will stick by my first rating even if its a bit under-descriptive. Aroma has lagered fruitiness, not a good thing, and a mix of wet bark and cardboard. Taste is thin and badly lagered because there is a bad residual sweetness left over. Too thin and awkwardly sweet. Not a good doppelbock and one I will probably never revisit again (3 years and nothing has changed). As I drink this the unbalanced sweetness gets more and annoying. Ugh, sweet and vegetable-like. 6/3/6/3/12

I am just not much of a brown ale fan. +++Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer pours a nice mahogany color with a small tan head. The aroma is a strong and pleasant scent of fruit and nut. The flavor is strongly of hazelnut with a moderate amount of smokyness. The smoke lingers on the aftertaste and was the factor that ended up turning me off to this beer. The draft version is much sweeter and has no smoke presence, but the nut is greatly reduced as well.

2003 Bottle. Thank you Jeff (jeffin7). Great pour, golden brown, with some dark honey colors, lightly hazy but mostly filtered. Good enough beige head. Smells of cherries, meaty and somewhat prune like. Yeasty, and a deep caramel sugar tone as well. Flavor starts out with a belgian kick, like they threw some belgian style yeast in. Has a hint of cherries but not dominant. Body is medium, lightly fizzy, but mostly soft. Sweet on the finish, sugary, lightly yeasty. Very unique to say the least. I have two more bottles and I think, based on the slighty syrupy texture, it should age well. Excited for the rerate.

2003 bottle and 2005 bottle sampled side-by-side blindly November 2005. The 2003 was easy to pick out, the cherries having subsided somewhat, while there was a hint of oxidation, yet the flavors overall, were better homogenized. The 2005 seemed rather syrupy, tart on the end, and too carbonated at this point. Both still showed poor head retention, though the 2005 was better, obviously. Neither showed the alcohol. Still just a bit too meaty/bready for me.

One of the better basic lagers that I have had and really a shame that they retired it.+++ Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer pours a beautiful dark red-brown with a small tan head. It is heavily carbonated. There is a moderate malty scent. The flavor is malty and sweet. The maltiness lingers. This beer lacks the typical macro aftertaste common to so many lagers - And a big plus in this beer’s favor IMHO. This is a very nice lager that I wish was still being made.

Cloudy yellowish straw color, medium white head. Yeasty lemony and herbal aroma. Wonderful! Almost looks and spells like a witbier actually. No matter. I could sniff this all day. Lemony flavor, clean light palate. Spicy hop finish. Interesting and zesty. Nice one.

Amber colour with very strong ruby highlights. Thin off-white head that dissipates quickly. Very pleasant aroma of grapes, cherries and spices. Heavy-bodied; Alcoholic bite with strong spice flavour. Aftertaste full of nice fruits and sweetness, but still a bit of an alcoholic kick late on. Overall, a nice beer-but aging would help this one out a bit! I got this twelve ounce bottle from Total Wine in Chantilly, Virginia and sampled it on 27-November-2003.

Roast and roast and roast - thats what this beer is about. Opaque red-brown with huge firm head that never dissipated, leaving almost 2 inches of foam standing in the bottom of my glass! Aroma of roasted malt and chocolate, with a hint a floral hops but the flavor is nearly all roast. Hints of bitter chocolate, some smoke and ash. Bitter finish with roast and hops. I'm feeling this as an excellent partner to smoked meats or fried fish.

Dark amber in colour with a tan head of less than 1 centimetre in height. Smells of malt, grapes, residual sweetness and a small amount of hops. Medium-bodied; Coats the mouth well with malt in each sip, as well as has a strong roasty sweetness (caramel). The malt stays in the palate for a while after the last sip. Not my favourite beer by this brewery, but it's not the worst. A decent beer and any malt lover should try this! I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Total Wine in Manassas, Virginia and sampled it on 31-August-2003.

Dark dark brown in colour, about 95% opaque with only a small amount of light getting through when held directly to it. A tan head of about 1 centimetre lasts for the duration of the beer. Smells of raisins, roasted malt and coffee. Creamy, medium-bodied; Sweet tastes of oatmeal, bitter coffe and chocolate. Soury milky taste mid-way through is very nice and somewhat complex! Aftertaste strictly of roasted malt and that lingering sweetness along with the coffee biterness. A very nice beer that captivates all areas of the 'sweet stout' nicely. Worth a try if you can find it...but definately look for it if you are out in the Mid-Atlantic region! Overall, a better than average Sweet Stout and one of the better ones locally! I bought my twelve ounce bottle at Total Wine in McLean, Virginia.