brew dog blog

Continuing on with my celebration of Fall and German beer, which I was plunged into headfirst by the good folks at Spuyten Duyvil when they hosted their “No Joke Oktoberfest” (read about our take here), I grabbed a bottle of Smuttynose’s “S’Muttonator,” one of the entries in their “Big Beer” series which I haven’t had the privelege of trying yet.  I enjoyed it quite a bit and it highlighted for me a lot of what I like about the brewery in general — their ability to produce top quality big beers and session beers simultaneously, which makes their brews a good choice for grabbing a quick pint with a friend, or spending an evening with a bomber, contemplating the finer things in life.  The whole range has excellent examples, and anyone who can get their hands on their brews who hasn’t, should immediately.

The S’Muttonator is an awesome Domestic example of a Doppelbock, a German style which takes its name from the strength of the beer — if a Bock beer is strong like a goat, then a Doppelbock is … well, even stronger.  The Bock style is on the stronger end up German Lagers, with a malty, roasty character that brings a darker and more robust flavor with it, almost like the Porter of the German Lager world.  Doppelbocks take this even further, pushing the envelope on the maltiness, and the best examples balance this with the right amount of body, bitterness, carbonation, and aroma to make the beer “digestible,” to use the Belgian term.  Although most Doppelbocks are on the heavier side, Smuttynose uses its expertise with producing big but balanced American Style beers like their “Big A IPA,” here to great effect.  S’Muttonator is balanced well with bitterness and aroma, and has an insane amount of bread, chocolate, and spice smells going on to complement the warming, chewey texture of the beer.  I settled in with a bottle of this Doppelbock after dinner with a slice of homemade Banana bread and some chocolate chips and I was excelptionally stoked.  This is a killer beer at any time but fall is the right time, so make your move while this one is around.