I’ve been on a straight up Bock kick, as is evidenced by the goat illustration that recently appeared, and the fact that I’m clearly alluding to Double Bocks/Doppelbocks and Bock beers in general when I talk about how much I’ve gotten into German Lagers.  The logical correlation to intense hoppiness or complex sourness is deep and rich maltiness, and Doppelbocks offer this in spades.  Celebrator is the absolute prototype for the style, offering a dark, ruby red pour with a tan head, and an immediate smell of chocolate, roast, caramel, and just plain savory depth.  The beautiful appearance is matched by a depth of flavor that is unparalleled in most other styles of beer — a killer texture that ends smooth, a lot of body that dries up enough to make it drinkable, and the right amount of carbonation and bitterness to keep everything balanced.  It’s the yeast-scent free, deeper version of a great Porter, the weird German cousin to the heavy stout, or any kind of German Lager gone horribly wrong, to the dark side.  Intensity and balance in one package is difficult to acheive, and Ayinger Celebrator is as sure to please as the plastic goat that adorns each bottle.

When Russian River Beers make it to New York city, they’re always savored.  It’s really the best brewery that makes it out here in trades in many ways, and one of the breweries that, thanks to brewer Vinnie Cilurzo, maintains the bar-raising status of American Craft Brewing on many fronts. We’ve covered some of the IPAs and Sour beers here, and we drank Damnation at our first (and only) tasting, but it hasn’t been written about.  Damantion is Russian River’s “Devil Beer,” or Golden Strong Ale, a style created in the name of Duvel, the famous Belgian Ale with darker roots.  Duvel used to be more of an amber color, and turned Golden to battle the Pilseners — winning by all accounts and forging its own style, leaving a legion of worshippers in its wake, and creating an invincible brand all in one stroke.  Russian River’s size and expertise allow them to maintain Damnation as a more rustic, unpredictable, yeast forward take on the style that Duvel has become famous for.  Pouring a more orange like color with a huge, chunky white head, Damnation is extremely fragrant and bubbly.  There’s honey, orange, and resiny pine on the tongue, and each sip ends nice and dry, making for a dangerously drinkable beer.  There’s a great mixture of yeast and hops on the nose, and the subdued richness of the beer in general is one of its most favorable qualities.  If you can split a botle of this with someone, it’s perfect — just the right amount of evil, but not enough to push you too far.

Double DeBockEl is one of the many “specialty” Sierra Nevada beers which I’ve had the good luck to try in the past couple months.  Besides obsessing about the quality of their beers, I’ve been trying to get deeper into German Lagers, so a Dopplebock from Chico seemed like a very safe bet.  I had no idea what to expect when I ordered a pint, but was immediately surprised by the light almost amber color of the ber.  I had known beers of the style to be a bit darker, but there was definitely a depth of color that kept the beer very attractive.

Overall the beer poured a lot like most Sierra Nevada Ales, and the awesome hop nose told me right away that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary Doppelbock.  I had no idea at the time of drinking it that this was a 9%+ ABV beer, as it was so amazingly crisp and drinkable.  The classic Sierra Nevada west coast hop nose gave way to a full, rich, malty range of flavors in the first sip.  I kept drinking and thinking about this beer, which upon closer inspection started malty and fruity but ended bitter and crisp, a perfect hybrid of a dark, rich Doppelbock and a crisp Sierra Nevada ale.  Man, I hope this gets bottled because I want a ton of them to have around!   Another incredible vision conjured by the mystics in Chico — what will they think of next?

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.