Beer of the Weekend #230: 25th Anniversary Doppelbock
The Cubs are getting rocked in Arizona tonight, so I think I should kick back and drink a brew for my health. (I’ll need all the health I can get if I become a Cubs fan.)
The beer tonight is 25th Anniversary Doppelbock, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
Millstream’s 25th anniversary was last year, so who knows how long this bottle has been hanging around at John’s. The earliest BA reviews date from last May, so… But whatever. This was a one-time release, so I should be thankful for not missing out on trying it.
Serving type: One 22-ounce (650 ml) bomber. There is no freshness date or batch code on the bottle, but, like I said, I am pretty sure it was bottled about a year ago.
Appearance: Straight pour into a tall Hobgoblin glass (I can’t remember the name). The color is a deep brown with ruby tones. I screwed up the pour so only a small, slightly tan head developed and dissipated very quickly to leave a thin film and bubbly lacing around the edge. It took a while for the head to develop, which made me wonder if there was any carbonation at all.
Smell: Lots of lightly toasted chocolate and caramel. There is also dark fruit: raisin, cherry, plum, and also maybe a little bit of raspberry.
Taste: Though this bottle is probably a year old, I am not sure how much the beer has deteriorated. Flavors of toasted malts (caramel and a little chocolate) and toasted wheat bread (with singed edges) dominate. After the top flavors are the dark fruits: plum, cherry, and a little of the raspberry from the smell. The end of each sip has a barrel-aged woodiness to it, but it is very slight, as is a brandy-like alcohol sharpness.
Drinkability: It’s good, but I would expect more from Millstream for such a momentous occasion. Though disappointing, it is drinkable.
Fun facts about 25thADb:
-Style: Doppelbock.
-Price: $4.99/bomber at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. The bottle had no price tag or barcode, so perhaps they charged me five bucks for the hell of it.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, and game meat.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
The beer tonight is 25th Anniversary Doppelbock, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
Millstream’s 25th anniversary was last year, so who knows how long this bottle has been hanging around at John’s. The earliest BA reviews date from last May, so… But whatever. This was a one-time release, so I should be thankful for not missing out on trying it.
Serving type: One 22-ounce (650 ml) bomber. There is no freshness date or batch code on the bottle, but, like I said, I am pretty sure it was bottled about a year ago.
Appearance: Straight pour into a tall Hobgoblin glass (I can’t remember the name). The color is a deep brown with ruby tones. I screwed up the pour so only a small, slightly tan head developed and dissipated very quickly to leave a thin film and bubbly lacing around the edge. It took a while for the head to develop, which made me wonder if there was any carbonation at all.
Smell: Lots of lightly toasted chocolate and caramel. There is also dark fruit: raisin, cherry, plum, and also maybe a little bit of raspberry.
Taste: Though this bottle is probably a year old, I am not sure how much the beer has deteriorated. Flavors of toasted malts (caramel and a little chocolate) and toasted wheat bread (with singed edges) dominate. After the top flavors are the dark fruits: plum, cherry, and a little of the raspberry from the smell. The end of each sip has a barrel-aged woodiness to it, but it is very slight, as is a brandy-like alcohol sharpness.
Drinkability: It’s good, but I would expect more from Millstream for such a momentous occasion. Though disappointing, it is drinkable.
Fun facts about 25thADb:
-Style: Doppelbock.
-Price: $4.99/bomber at John’s Grocery in Iowa City. The bottle had no price tag or barcode, so perhaps they charged me five bucks for the hell of it.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havarti, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, and game meat.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.
Comments
Post a Comment