Dock Street Illuminator

Bottle. Pours a dark brown body with a tan head. Aroma is sweet and malty a bit of hops. Big malt sweet coffee, caramel sweetness and some dark fruit, eh.

Interesting beer, I have been looking to try it for a while and you would think its easy since its brewed in NY, unfortunately this is a contract brew for a Philly brewer. Finally found this on a trip through Jersey. It pours what at first looks like a brown color but upon closer examination it has a good amount of dark ruby red and some orange hues as well. It has little to no head even with some vigorous stirring. Basically, it looks syrupy, cause its dark and thick yet clear and headless, a definite foreshadowing to the rest of the beer. The aroma hits you on the nose and there one in one knows this is not going to be the traditional German doppelbock. Its full on over the top maltiness thats turned syrupy and just overly sweet for my preference (and I like sweet beer). There is plenty of alcohol present, also some light char, earthy bark, and a light off-putting fruit off flavor. The malt and the bigness of it are redeeming enough. Fortunately, the flavor is much less in your face. It’s still syrupy with very sweet char-like flavor. Otherwise, Matt brewing does a good job filtering the crap out of this beer making it relatively unfelt going down. Low bitterness and a reduced carbonation.
12 oz bottle, no date, St Paul tulip/snifter glass.

From a bottle poured dark brown with a fair amount of head. Nice sweet flavor with lots of carbonation.

12oz bottle, courtesy of hopdog. Thanks, Steve! Pours a bright, slightly oily, orange-amber color; thin light tan head with patchy lacing. Decent aroma showing caramel, cola, and sticky sweet malts; basic and pleasant sweetness. Relaxed carbonation; medium mouthfeel: dried fruits, caramel, and honey-like maltiness; some viscosity; nothing overly dense or remarkable, but a solid doppelbock with well-hidden alcohol. Medium finish, showing breadiness, dried fruits, and caramel; ends balanced.