Samuel Adams Imperial Double Bock

Pours a gorgeous dark cola brown with an ever so slight reddish hue. Nose is fruity, hoppy, and very alcoholic. You can really smell the ethanol in this. The head is a creamy beige. It doesn’t last the duration, but it almost does. The head contributes to the nose as the aroma changes as the head dies down. This is a significant characteristic of the malt and yeast strains used in this. Thick & malty on the palate. The heavy alcohol content creates a warming sensation after the swallow. But you know what? (and I never thought I’d say this) this has too much alcohol in it. It should be toned down to 7 or 8 percent. The amount it has in it leaves to much of an ethanol aftertaste and a bit of burn. A lesser amount would still give the warming effect without the overpower alcohol taste. That’s the only criticism I have for this otherwise wonderful bock!!

As I poured it out of the bottle, it came out in a nice, brown, translucent color. There was also a slightly red tint to it. After the pour it formed a nice, off-white head that settled very quickly. Taking a whiff, there was a pretty sweet, almost fruity, aroma with a dash of hops. In my first sip, I got a nice, smooth, malty taste. It was followed by a nice hint of fruit and sweetness and it finished up with a nice kick at the end from the barley and the alcohol (9.5% is hard to mask). The texture, I thought, was fantastic. It was very filling - almost like bread. And the entire experience was very smooth. It has a smooth opening and an interesting bite at the end to finish it off.

Dark amber pour into an off white foamy head that quickly dissipates into a small ring of foam as carbonated bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass into a swirl of bubbly foam. Aroma of smoky chocolate malt and dark roasted coffee. Initial flavor of sweet caramel, roasted chocolate malt, brown sugar and molasses that slowly fades into a peppery hoppy spice.

Brown with a thin head. Aroma of bread, malt, earthy. Flavor is sweet malt with caramel, molasses, and a hint of alcohol. Very nice and warming on the throat as it warms up. Good.

Decent pour with an off white head that diminished rapidly. This is a copper to deep copper beer that has a slight haze and slight carbonation and an ever light lace. Scents of malt, bread, yeast, and alcohol greet you to much of the same on mouth for this medium bodied lager. It does attempt to linger on finish in the front of the mouth in sync with the present sweetness.

Thin frothy offwhite head of fine bubbles. Sweet and malty aroma with some dark fruit, raisins and a hint of wood. Color is a dark crimson brown. Sweet malty flavor typical of dopplebocks. Sticky and sweet. Some cherry and dark fruity flavors along with some more woods and a hint of spices. Finishes sweet and sticky with a noticable alcohol presence. Eh, its a dopplebock.

Pours a reddish brown color with a medium head. The aroma is roasty and malty with light woody notes. The flavor is sweet and malty with some dark fruit and cherry character, the alcohol is present and warming and works very well in this beer, I’m actually surprised to see that it is a 9.5% abv as the alcohol seemed to blend into the flavors so well that it was not distracting in the least.

Bottle. Deep amber body, clear. Short off-white head, mostly diminishing. Thick malty aroma of caramel, molasses, bread, vanilla. The flavor is heavily sweet, lightly bitter and lightly acidic. It finishes moderately to heavily sweet, lightly bitter and boozy. Medium to full body, chewy texture, moderately carbonation. This is a malt bomb without much finesse or balance. Cloyingly sweet with a chalky mouthfeel in the finish.