Smuttynose Smuttonator

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

22oz. Bottle: Aroma of malts, caramel, rye, beans, and sweet malts. Poured cherry-wood brown with a hint of ruby in color and a medium-sized, dense head that lasted throughout. Sparkling. Very hazy. Excellent lacing. Flavor is medium sweet. Tastes of malts, caramel, light toasting, resin, tar, raisins, hops. Medium to full body. Viscous texture. Average carbonation. Smooth, malt, raisin and resin finish.

On tap @ Coles Buffalo NY. Pours a deep chestnut brown color. Roasted & sweet malt aroma. Notes of chocolate. Sweet tasting, boozy, brandy. Fuller bodied. Rich. One big beer

Bottle. Aroma of soda and honey, yuck. Thankfully flavor wasn’t quite as soda-laden, with some cookie dough malt jumping in, but still extremely sweet. Mouthfeel of carbonated syrup. Not as disgusting as the aroma led me to believe, but no good either.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of sweet malt and soda. Flavor of raisin bread, yeasty pizza dough, spices, and soda. Reminds me of expired Corsendonk Christmas Ale, hehe. A little too sweet with a weak palate. Probably most similar (in terms of doppelbocks) to Spaten Optimator.

A deep and rich dark lager, a la Ayinger Celibrator. Maybe a bit too sweet for my tastes, as is common with these strong bocks. Thick and velvety palate.

Pours deep black with a GREAT head and some fabulous lacing. Good looking beer typical of a what I expect from a doppelbock. Flavor is dark, smoked, with a bit of alcohol bite at the end. A slight tinge of malty, coffee, roastedness. I didn’t find any real fruit in there. Pretty plain doppelbock that doesn’t try to do all that much but succeeds admirably in what it shoots for. Creamy, smooth palate. Very enjoyable brew. My father raved about it.

THOUGHTS: Nice doppelbock, but an odd time of year for this release. Just the right amount of alcohol in the nose and on the tongue for that wonderful doppel small and taste. Not a huge Smuttynose fan, but this was dead on to they style. Above average doppel. Taste was way more complex than the nose. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark, brownish garnet, but bright red when held to the light with a large to huge, foamy, tan head that slowly diminished, keeping a nice sheet and leaving good to excellent lacing that was thick but a little sparse. The aroma was heavy cookie, molasses and caramel malts; slight cocoa; raisin, cherry, alcohol, sherry, brandy. The initial flavor was moderate to heavily sweet, and lightly acidic and bitter; while the finish was lightly sweet and moderately bitter with an average duration. There was cherry, tobacco, burnt caramel, sherry, brandy, alcohol, raisin and slight cocoa. The medium body was somewhat syrupy (sticky on the lips), yet also oily with lightly fizzy carbonation and a light alcoholic finish.

Brown caramel pour with serious head. Caramel malty notes come off the top with a souring and assertive hops piney quality. LIght barnyard, with sticky caramel notes, sugary, syrupy. Very smooth and drinkable on the palate and this masks the alcohol stealthily. Tooth coating in its almost maple syrupy nature, yet it is balanced by some stange anti-matter quality which i cannot identify. Good brew.