Style: Dopplebock

ABV: 8.0

89/100
Aroma: 10
Appearance: 3
Flavor: 18
Mouthfeel: 4

Bell's Brewery, Inc. Consecrator Doppelbock

What the brewers say

Reddish brown in color with a mild hop profile, Consecrator Doppelbock is a well balanced, full bodied lager with hints of caramel and molasses in its smooth, malty finish. As with our other lager brands, Consecrator undergoes a lengthy lagering period. Unlike the 6 week profile of the other two brands, Consecrator experiences a full three months in the fermenting vessel, giving it an exceptionally smooth character.

What our panel thought

Aroma: Medium malt sweetness and a bit of roastiness and toast. Some spicy noble hops and light fruit esters. Not a strong nose. Lacks complexity.

Flavor: Upfront malt flavor is sweeter than the aroma promises. Malt is rich, lightly toasted, and slightly nutty. Tasty, if a bit simplistic. Medium hop bitterness is balancing. Alcohol is a touch hot but dries the finish. A little sticky.

Overall: Enjoyable and well made, the flavor delivers more than the aroma. The alcohol could be better integrated into the overall flavor profile: It burns a little. Very well executed and a bit safe. Good body and a very rich malt profile.

What our editors thought

Review printed in: Enlightened Lagers (Fall 2014) (View All Issues)


REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Bell's Brewery, Inc. Lager of the Lakes

**Aroma:** “Light malt with subtle sulfur notes. Moderate German hops aroma. Some fruity esters, sweetness, and yeast aroma. A bit of corn-like, wheaty sweetness. Citrusy notes of lemon and orange.” **Flavor:** “Smooth malt offset by light hop bitterness. Sweet, corn-like, and wheaty. Spicy hops slide right into the finishing bitterness. Very fruity, but light alcohol flavor. Yeasty, yet clean profile. Light carbonic bite.” **Overall:** “Crisp and refreshing, a great beer to take to a cookout. Neither a pils nor a Vienna lager, just an easy-drinking beer. Finish is cleaner than an ale, yet not quite lager-like. If someone brought this to a summer barbecue, everyone would be happy.”

To Øl Brown Paper Bag

**Aroma:** Citrus hops—more orange rind than pure grapefruit. Big spicy hops redolent of pineapple and mango. More American than noble hops character. Some toasted caramel malt sweetness. Little to no sulfur or esters. **Flavor:** Huge hops-forward flavor with plenty of malt to back it up. A bit raw or grassy with alcohol in the aftertaste. Bitterness is assertive and barely tames the alcohol burn, but there’s enough malt sweetness to carry it. Clean with no esters. **Overall:** Sticky, resinous hop flavor overpowers this beer—it’s a hop bomb that finishes hot. Unique and very tasty, this offers a lot of complexity and a clean fermentation profile.

Smuttynose Brewing Company Smuttynose Imperial Stout

**Aroma:** “Big dark chocolate and coffee aroma. Big plum, dates, moderate cherry, light acidity, moderate caramel, light umami, light earthy hops, some brown sugar notes. A backbone of bready malt. I’m sitting by the fire with a snifter of...not barleywine, but this beer. Rich malt complexity with sherry, dried figs, and raisins, and warming alcohol. More caramel than roast, but the coffee and chocolate are there.” **Flavor:** “Lovely complex malt sweetness—like chocolate-covered Fig Newtons, or maple syrup, with a touch of earthy hops to help balance. Like a shot of strong expresso, no cream. Complex and deep, but a bit intense so sessionable is not part of this section. Big cherry, light plum, big chocolate, moderate coffee, light hops bitterness, touch of alcohol, moderate caramel. Aftertaste: big chocolate, touch of coffee, light bitterness. Starts out like a thinner-bodied barleywine, but the hops and roast bitterness crack that illusion. The promise from the nose is here, but it doesn't quite mesh as well in the flavor because the lingering hops and slight astringency add some harshness. Hops flavor is as big as the roast. Sherry, malt, dried fruit and esters are still nice, though.” **Overall:** “Very tasty, but could use a bit more carbonation to help the flavors pop. Love the fruitiness. Fun dark-fruit dominated imperial stout. The chocolate, caramel, and roast notes are present throughout with just enough hops to balance. It is fairly well carbonated, but that works to bring out the brighter fruit notes. The nose had me, but the flavor not so much.”

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