Smuttynose Smuttonator

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Doppelbock
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

(22 oz. bottle (2005) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/ target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co.) Pours a fairly light rubyish brown. Creamy biege head stays around. Weepy lacing. Aroma: malty sweetness, brown sugar, maybe licorice. Mouthfeel smooth but dryish. Tastes fairly sweet upfront, finishes with a bitterness that lingers. Some brown sugary taste. Sort of disappointed I couldn’t pick out many distinct tastes, in other words this was good but not very complex or distinctly flavorful. A little biting, maybe some aging would mellow this a bit and bring out more flavors.

Over the past few years I have really come to enjoy a great Doppelbock. This is a fine example. Pours a dark brown/amber color with a thick tan head. Has a sweet caramel aroma. This beer immediately warms you as you drink it. While cold it has sweet roasted malt flavor with a sweet lingering finish. As it warms the alcohol becomes much more present.

S’Muttonator pours to a beautiful, deep caramel color with a thick and creamy tan head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is sweet malty, with aromas of sweet malt, toffee, and hints of peppery alcohol. The palate is firm, with flavors of sweet malt, caramel, and toasty malt flavors, on a rich but very smooth and polished body. S’Muttonator finishes with more sweet and caramel malt flavors up front, then ends with a malty, cloying, warming burn that lingers. An outstanding example of double bock, or dopple bock bier S’Muttonator is an excellent tribute to the style.

I expexted a lot more. This double bock was loaded with hops. Very smooth in body and at 9.6%abv Itv was rather mild. Still was a very tasty beer.

This beer pours a reddish brown, looks more like a red ale as suppose to the darker brown in most doppelbock’s I’ve tried. I know this style can range in color but I just expect more brown than reddish. It leaves a small off white head that kind of lingers with the brew. The smell of this beer seems off to me, more of a grape sour smell comes out which throws me off a bit. As I continue to smell this beer more candied darker fruit begins to rise from the depths which now intrigues me. The taste is malty with a nice balance of hops to counteract that sweetness on the palate. Caramel starts off on your palate with medium carbonation followed quickly by a sharp herbal bitterness and finishes with some what mellow nutmeg spice characters. Overall this isn’t the best beer from Smuttynose but decent.

Pours an amber/brown and clear with a thin but stubborn tannish head. Smells of straw, yogurt, some vanilla and nice malty hints. Taste is slightly bitter which is surprising for a dopplebock. Once the initial bitterness subsides, nutty tastes start to come out along with some decent rosey and caramel notes. Slightly fruity but not as over the top as some of the better dopplebocks.

2004 Bottling. <P> Aroma is rich sweet caramel that is full and fat in the nose. Cloudy amber in color with a thumb thick head. Very mellow after two years. Sweet caramel malts and plump ripe fruits like pear and apple with hints of spice and bread pudding. The alcohol is present, but not distracting. Smooth (fromt he rich malts) yet biting (from the alcohol) as you sip.

A decent doppelbock. Smoky and delicious. Strong alcohol. This is one heck of a brew.