Dock Street Brewery Illuminator

“Aroma is fairly light with notes of dark fruit and light toasty malt. Deeply mahogany with good clarity and a small but persistent head. Flavor is smooth and rich, with deep maltiness and strong dark fruit and cherry notes. Bitterness is low and balanced, keeping the finish from being overly sweet. Hops are minimal throughout. Very pleasant to drink.”

Clear copper color; good head with excellent retention. Nose offers a swirl of caramel, toasted nuts, browned biscuits, light cherry, and floral hop. Malt builds in the flavor—dates, chocolate, toast, caramel, tobacco, fig, currant, brown sugar, along with a spicy alcoholic warmth. Additional flavors emerge with each sip. Touch of sweetness lingers into the finish, with a light toffee topper. Smooth, fairly creamy. Excellent doppelbock.

“Inviting floral and spicy Noble hop aroma. Light appropriate whiff of sulfur. Deep golden, brilliant. Clean pilsner malt brings a moderate bit of bread crust and cracker to the aroma with a filigree of spicy hops at the edges. The balance shifts to hops in the flavor, pushing the soft bready, cracker malt into a more supporting role. Soft honey character. The bitterness is smooth and clean, lingering into the finish and fading slowly. Moderate bitterness, soft floral, spicy flavor. Finish is a touch sweet, but not exactly melanoidin in quality—more honey-like. Bitterness hangs well, inviting more drinking. A nice ride with some reasonable variation (and smooth transitions) along the way.”