3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Bottle… Clear copper ale with a large, fluffy, off-white head. Excellent retention. The bouquet is reminiscent of a Belgian dubbel or quad – mild chocolate, lots of dried dark fruits (raisins, dates and fig) clove and black bread. Full-bodied with a creamy/slick mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Bland, modest, minerally bitterness dominates the flavor, but allows notes of medium-dark sherry and fallen dark fruit to peek through. Finishes bland and very lightly acidic.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
22. Pours a murky dark amber with a scant and sloppy white head. Big tannic vinous nose. A little oaky almost. Caramel and brown sugar under that. Creamy medium body with soft carb. Caramel, toast, nuts, brown sugar, wine grape skins, and a little oak on the mid palate. Longish vinous finish.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
22 oz bomber courtesy of Tim. Pours a clear deep rusty orange brown copper with a medium sized beige head. Aroma of malts, various grape notes, figs and toffee. Taste of malt, dark fruits-figs, toffee and grape notes.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
A: The pour is a dark amber color, maybe burnt orange, with a fluffy off-white head that settles down to a thin layer.
S: Sweet fruits on the nose, which does have some grape character, but not overly vinous. A definite malt and caramel note as well.
T: Semi-sweet and malty on the tongue without too much in terms of grape flavor. There is a bit of a fruit sweetness, but I can’t tell if that’s from the base beers (apparently a blend of doppelbock and dubbel). Overall, the flavor is on the bland side.
M: The body is medium and so is the carbonation. There’s a bit of a flat feel overall to the beer, though.
D: Really underwhelming. I’ve enjoyed several of the He’Brew beers, but I can’t say this is one of them. Just not much going on in terms of flavors.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
22oz. Bottle: Aroma of malt, grapes, nuts, light figs, light toffee, light toasted caramel, and a light of yeast. Poured copper/amber in color with a medium-sized, creamy, dense, tan head that diminished but lasted throughout. Clear. Slightly sparkling. Some tiny particles throughout. Flavor is medium to heavily sweet. Tastes of grapes, malt, toasted caramel, fig, slight wood, nuts, and slight resin. Medium body. Oily texture becomes slightly dry. Soft to average carbonation. Malt, toasted caramel, nut, and slight fig finish is slightly dry. 8.2%ABV is completely hidden throughout.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Half doppelbock, half belgian dubbel...brewed with grape juice? Why did I buy this? - anyway, what could have been a complete train wreck here is actually not too bad - the raisin and fig notes of the doppel actually combine decently with the concord grape juice flavor (which is present but fairly subdued) - light acidity from the grape juice works with those characteristics as well - medium sweet, but drying out just a bit in the finish - some moderate phenols and dusty/earthy character arrive through the middle - a little doughy on the tail end - lingering fig and raisin - not too bad, really.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bomber pour rich amber orange with a thick beige head that retains well. Aroma of molasses, grape skin, toasted malts. Taste is mostly the same with the grape coming through very nicely. I don’t think I’ve had any beers with grape so this is certainly unique. There is a certain amount of earthy bitterness and a thick malt body. Carbonation is soft. I’m not a big fan of Dopplebock’s but this one is manageable. Finish has a lot of grape and burnt malts. I would like to try this again a year from now.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Bottle. Dark orange to amber hue with a thin layer of sustaining head. Nose is grapey syrup and sweet melanoid malts. Flavor is thin, light bock-y malts with faint caramel up front transition to light berries and fruits, mostly grapes, finishes sweet. Light-medium body, light carbonation, watery texture. Well, I just had an amazing He’Brew beer (RIPA on RYE) and this is the other end of the spectrum, essentially a hybrid between a bock and manischevitz wine, just a notch above acceptable; high marks for uniqueness and experimentation, just not a great outcome.
2.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
22 oz bottle. Pours a hazy light brown that looks slightly purplish and has a smallish off-white head that quickly diminishes to a dusting.
The aroma is sweet figgy caramel malts, candy sugar, sweet grape juice and wood.
The flavor is sweet grapes with some vinous alcohol and some off bitter notes (card-boardy). The fruitiness fades as it warms and figgy caramel malts become more pronounced. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation and is a bit watery.
Overall, an interesting idea. It’s a bit watery and I didn’t care for the flavors much - it just wasn’t too interesting.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
Pours a beautiful deep garnet with a lasting creamy head. Nose is fresh baked pastry, candy sugar, and grape with some other mix of light and dark fruits. Medium to heavy mouthfeel with grape, blueberry pie filling, and sugary baked goods coming through. Some minor alcohol notes. Nice beer but almost too much.
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