Great Dane Octoppelbock

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Doppelbock
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

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Draft at Downtown location. Pours a deep bronze with offwhite head. Nose is somewhat sweet and caramely, some light hop notes. Taste is pretty much as advertised, a mix of toasty Marzen & robust and sweet dopelbock. A bit on the hoppy side for style as well. Alcohol comes through but isn’t too overwhelming. An interesting beer for sure.

(Tap) Pours a clear amber with little head. Interesting beer, but it seemed like there was too much going on to get a good feel for the beer in the sampler that I tried. Some muddled caramel/spice notes are there at the beginning. The one thing that was prevalent in the brew was the alcohol. The alcohol is not disguised at all. It actually tasted like the ABV is closer to 12-15%. This is nice and warming, but overwhelming given the fact there is no real direction in the beer.

On tap at the brewpub. Poured a clear medium orange with a creamy beige head. Fairly nice lacing. Aroma of rich caramel malts, fall-type spices, and some noble hoppage. Caramel was more predominant as this warmed. Flavor was similar to the aroma at first, but the balance was out-of-whack about halfway through, and a lot of weirdness came through... alcohol and some barnyard elements showed up, and the finish got a bit too much of the booze factor (along with nice spices and sweet caramel). Started out smooth on the palate, and kind of blew up and lost its balance at the end. Pretty good, with some definite rough edges.

On tap now. The beer pours to a clean orange/amber body with a thick orangish head that disapates to a thin, lasting film. The flavor is strange but good. I may be crazy, but this is what I got from this beer: pumpkin, toasted grain, almost a train-wreck of a beer. Vienna malts? Bock components. Pumpkin bread, butter, and barleywine. Hay. The flavor has some characteristics of a Biere de Garde. The aroma is light and hard to determine. I rarely get a strong aroma from their beers. Points docked for that. The palate has a lingering feel. Lively carbonation. Light creamyness and grainy. This was one confusing beer.

Tap at downtown location. Very pretty golden orange color; a slight but pervasive head. Big aromatic caramel/honey aroma. Taste is hop bitter at first, then fast warming from alcohol and a long malt finish. Alcohol is too high for any appreciable mouthfeel. Very dry compared to Capital’s Autumnal Fire (the only other like style I’ve had).

At the brewery. A nice turn on their octoberfest. Clear medium honey color, light head. Sweet caramel flavor with nice alcohol punch. Very good overall.

Tap @ Benno's -West Allis, WI. Clear dark amber with a dense off white head. Heavy malt and alcohol aromas. Flavors match aromas. Nice caramel and malt flavors , but the alcohol kicks in fast, hard and warming. A decent warming brew but lacks balance.