12 oz single, Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA. Pour is a muddy, Dubbel-like mid brown with a disappointing lack of clarity. Musty aroma with some blue cheese notes and a mild acidity - slight lactose aroma. Strange. Tastes reflect the nose and offer a weird combination of light acidity (unexpected) amongst the more predictable smoke/oak notes and the malty, alcohol strong, Doppelbock flavors. Not sure that there is any point in oaking a Doppelbock I think that there is precious little to be gained....
Notes on beers brewed by
Tommyknocker Brewery
Legend
$9.68 from Euro Street Market in Jacksonville Beach, FL. The red wax on the bottle is extremely thick and a big pain in the ass to get through. 2009 vintage with the date embossed in the wax as per a seal. The pour is pretty much un-carbonated and yields a murky, dirty brown body. Not attractive and little or no head. Nose has an enormous amount of oak and associated liquor notes. Very good aroma. Tastes reflect the nose and there are a lot of residual sugars, sherry notes and some warming...
Cocoa Porter Winter Warmer
Oh dear. I first saw this in Atlanta a few weeks ago at the Taco Mac in Marietta and at that time the barman advised me against it since he thought it was sour or perhaps even off. I avoided it then, but a couple of weeks later a barman gave me a taster at the Decatur Taco Mac. I thought it still tasted very sour and it seemed very, very thin. So, fast forward to today and I find myself at Taco Mac in Douglasville which had just got this in yesterday, and I finally decided I should order it...
Ornery Amber
Dark orange color with a small head with some scant lacing. Sweet and sour flavors come through strong. Some very sweet malts initially and a pleasingly bitter finish. A slight metallic grapefruit aftertaste that is not really bad at all. In no way is this my favorite style, but I was surprised at how nice and drinkable this was.
Jack Whacker Wheat Ale
Not bad. Straddles an interesting divide between wheat and fruit beer. This is strictly a hot weather beer. It is amazingly drinkable - as long as you have a thirst. Without a thirst it's a pretty bland and non-descript. Cloudy, chill-hazed pour, with a butterscotch/orange color. Decent head and some lacing. Aroma has the big lemon grass hit and this doesn't let up much. It's pretty floral. I'd imagine it could put some people off. Mild acidity and a very clean taste. Mouthfeel is light, but...
Alpine Glacier Lager
Some chill haze against the backdrop of a golden body with some scant head, a little lacing but very poor stickability. Well, this is a very, very basic macro type lager. Grain tastes and smells dominate but it is still pretty drinkable. Clean taste and some refreshing quality. A tiny, tiny hop bitterness in the short finish, but not much. Very little to report here, lawnmower qualities and quite drinkable. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. A nice addition to the fridge in the...
Butthead Doppelbock
Nice dark mahogany pour, with a small head due to the higher ABV. Some bubbles in the head and a little bit of lacing. Quite a bit of alcohol in the nose along with the obvious and strong malts. Taste is very malty, but the alcohol is pretty large too. If anything, it drinks much, much bigger than the ABV would initially suggest. Nice sweet malt upfront, but balanced by the alcohol and the hops in the finish. Warming on the way down. Some bitterness at the end as well. Mouthfeel is good and...
Maple Nut Brown Ale
Very, very attractive pour with a really deep mahogany color, nice substantial head and significant lacing. Aroma is a nutty sweetness as expected. Balanced brew with a nice sweetness that does not overpower the brew. Still finishes with a little smokiness and a tiny bitterness. Malt lovers will be delighted with this. Very drinkable and a nice everyday drinker. I'd certainly go for this again, and the Tommyknocker Imperial Brown Ale "older bother" is also a very nice beer. Nice, sweet example...
Imperial Nut Brown Ale
Pretty darn nice. I like the bottle presentation too, with the gold foil and nice label. Excellent deep brown color, and lovely tan head that is really quite creamy. A small amount of lacing. The alcohol comes through strong, but there is a nice balance amongst the malt, hops and nuttiness. A roasted richness is present as well. I was a bit dubious of this being classified as a brown ale with the relatively high ABV, since to me one of the more characteristic traits of a great brown ale is...