Cherry Oak Doppelbock? Not sure what to expect here, nor am I convinced that all of these elements are necessary but we’ll see. Sep 09/09 on label, I guess that’s the bottling date. First in the series.
Boxed bottle from Hop City, Atlants, GA, USA.
Pour is a murky brown, Dubbel-like body that lacks much head or lace, but does leave some spotty cream on the surface of the beer.
Plenty of very sweet malts in the nose but not much else.
The tastes are certainly malty but they lack much cherry character, at least any specific cherry character. There IS a fruit note in the finish but as for it being cherry, well, I dunno it does not seem distinctive to me at all. The oaking also seems largely lacking which I feel is a good thing but there is a modicum of dry character in the finish which could be as a result of the oak. More sweet malts continue to build which I like, and it is somewhat appropriate for the style, but the alcohol doesn’t really make it to the level it should fro a Doppelbock and the distinct nature of the style also doesn’t seem to make it through to the palate. It’s a little weak in terms of its presence.
I’m not sure, but it seems like a poor Doppelbock, not very fruit based and hardly oaked; Not good signs for a “Cherry, Oaked Doppelbock!