Alaskan Pilot Series: Birch Bock

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Juneau, Alaska USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

Well made, tasty Doppelbock. Deep, opaque amber- looks like whiskey as it has very little head. Caramel and almond nose. Medium bodied with pleasant, sweet malty flavors on the mid palate. The finish is a little off, but nothing offensive. The birch is present, but should be more out in front if it is a Birch bock.

22 ounce bomber thanks to Kevin. A large malty beer, slightly spicy, sugar, notes of wood. Surprisingly dry for how big of a beer this is. Nice beer.

Sampled on 4/28/2012. This Dopplebock pours a medium copper red color from a 22oz bottle. Medium sized off- white foamy head, with decent retention. The aroma is caramel, fruity and sweet, with birch and a touch of maple. A medium bodied dopplebock. The malts are caramel, fruity and sweet. The birch is more in the aroma than the flavor but its there. The hops are herbal and earthy. Mild carbonation. A touch sweet, but that should be expected in a dopplebock. Nice balance. Very smooth. Nice residual sweetness. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Brown pour, light brown head. Aroma is sweet, syrupy, toffee, molasses. Flavor is sweet, sticky, raw sugar, just too sweet.

22oz bottle-pours yellow/copper with an offwhite head. Aroma is birch, light/medium malt. Taste follows.

Thanks to the kind soul that was pouring this around Saint Somewhere. Pours a dark amber with an off-white head. Nose is dark malt, dates, syrup, and molasses with hints of chocolate. Flavor is similar with prominent birch syrup and molasses amongst the chocolate and date-esque fruit flavors. Interesting take on the doppelbock, and the syrup makes a nice addition to this medium-bodied bock.

Viscous amber, profusely carbonated, but a flat head. Interesting body. The nose exudes a malty spicyness with perhaps a bit of birch to it. The birch component soon expands as with aeration, serving to complement the malt with a spicy piquant quality. The body is malty, a slap of band-aid on the palate, phenolics, some cough syrup, a splash of bracing birch that at once freshens the palate. Spicy gumdrop finish.

Reddish mahogany with a quickly dissipating white foam. Taste is sweet sweet caramel. There’s a different orangish taste in the middle I assume is birch. Moderate carbonation with a watery mouthfeel. Overall an interesting dopplebock. A bit off the beaten path but good. The birch is unusual bit compliments the style well.

Bomber pours a brownish ruby with a thin off-white head. Aroma is very sweet syrup, dark fruit, and caramel. Very sweet, from the birch syrup, with and earthy wood finish and rotten fruit finish.

Bottle. Pours with a very viscous looking texture yielding a lightly hazed deep amber hued body with a small, off-white head. Aromas are quite sweet, nearly cloying. Some caramelized notes, very light banana (odd ester in a lager), vanilla, caramel, mild fruit, light chocolate, and cough syrup. Low spicy notes, mild hop character. Flavors are malty, quite sweet, maple, some esters (again odd for a dopplebock), a bit too caramel like in its malt presence, very sweet. Light raisin quality, caramel, vanilla, light melanoidin, low spice. Syrupy mouthfeel, low carbonation with a very full body. Overall too sweet, big and syrupy.