Great Divide Wolfgang

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Denver, Colorado USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Stem glass

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Red foil crown on a 22 oz. bomber. Well done, but poorly composed label. Deep, dark bronze beer, light khaki head. Dark, sweet cereal aroma. Very grainy up front and sweet. Dark syrup, not very bitter. Flavor gives me the impression of a bowl of oatmeal with a dollop of molasses. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good. Bought at markdown at Market Square Liquors - I struck up a conversation with the general manager who was a little bumfuzzled as to why the beer wasn’t commanding $7.99/22oz. Now I know - nobody wants to pay sixpack price for two mediocre beers. Market Square Liquors, Timberlane.

Bottle from Bruisin Ales. Pours brown with a thin khaki head. It doesnt leave much in the way of lacing Lots of caramel malt on the nose. A bit sweet on the tongue. Finishes clean and hides its alcohol well. solid beer but not my favorite style so one I’d never get enthusiastic about.

Pours a beautiful ruby-brown with a low cream colored head. Aroma has a good deal of caramel sweetness that works well with a dark fruity/raisin nose with some light noble hop kick at the finish. Flavor starts off with a sweet caramel maltiness with a strong raisin kick, light earthy hops and a toasted malt kick at the finish. Body is light, modestly fizzy and finishes with a light dryness. Overall a pretty tasty brew. Alcohol is a non factor and is very well hidden behind the great sweetness. Well done brew.

Pours dark brown with red highlights. Chocolatey aroma. Also chocolatey flavors with some bread and caramel and toffee and nuttiness. Impressed with how well-hidden the ABV is. Nice, solid doppelbock.

Pretty good. Pours deep red/brown with a tan head. Aroma is primarily dark fruit and brown sugars, with a touch of hops. Taste is slightly sweet, malty. Finishes sticky sweet with a slight alcohol burn.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a small off-whit ehead. Has a fruity malty caramel dark fruit aroma. Sweetish malty caramel and dark fruit flavor. Has a sweetish malty caramel and dark fruit finish.

22 ounce bottle - $5.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Bottled On: Well, it’s regrettably illegible, though, I can make out 2012.

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish-brown body with a wispy, sudsy layer of yellowed froth.

Smell: In the nose, a sizable pile of brown sugar, slight nuttiness, and toasted dark breadiness with the faintest hint of chocolate powder. Resounding fruitiness in the nose of candied dates and prunes. Even-handed dose of spicing. Some alcoholic wafts noted.

Taste: Fairly sweet upfront, with plenty of caramelized sugars, brown sugar, toasted (dark) bread crusts and some nutty, grainy hints. Very faint chocolate, molasses. As with the nose, there’s a big ’pop’ of fruitiness present. Herbal-toned, leafy hops, low bitterness. Wolfgang remains malty, fruity, and sweetish until the warming finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Slightly chewy, fluffy mouthfeel.

Overall: I liked it better than I thought I would. Worth a try.

Dark mahogany, thin head, sweet, brown sugar, dark fruits, caramelization. Roasty flavors, medium bodied.

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/5/2012. Pours fairly crystal clear deep mahogany color with a nice 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, raisin, prune, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, dark bread, biscuit, nuttiness, and roasted earthiness. Fantastic aromas with great complexity and balance of dark malty flavors with well balanced fruitiness. Taste of caramel, raisin, prune, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, chocolate, biscuit, nuttiness, and light roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, dark fruit, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, biscuit, nuttiness, and light earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice flavor balance and complexity of dark malty flavors with moderate fruitiness; and zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and slightly syrupy mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent doppelbock! Great balance and complexity of malt flavors with moderate fruitiness; and extremely smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering; one of the better examples I have had in the style.

A steady pour into my Teku glass produces a fat-two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is a concentrated amber / brown color that shows a brilliantly clear, light cranberry red hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells of sweet, caramelized, concentrated malt, perhaps a touch of dark fruit (but really more dark caramel), and this has a nice, fully, toasted, slightly spicy, whole grain malt character. Notes of brown sugar on toasted brown bread become more prominent as the beer warms up, and there is even a suggestion of roast character here.

Sweet tasting up front, but not cloying, and not a simplistic sweetness; richly caramelized, with lots of sweet maltiness, toasted whole grain notes, and chewy brown bread notes. The beer finishes with a touch of bitterness, a slight herbal character, with just a touch of woodiness to it that lingers for a while in the finish. This is dense and chewy without being overly heavy, definitely a sipping beer, but seems a bit drinkable as well. A touch of nutty notes, and perhaps a suggestion of roast character towards the finish. As the beer warms up the hop character becomes suppressed as the malt character becomes more dominant. Hints of chocolate.

Definitely a nice Doppel Bock; malt dominated, but with just a kiss of hop character, and, it manages to not be cloying, and has lots of rich malt complexity to it. This is much better than I was expecting, for some reason, and I am quite happy to finish my bottle of this.