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?

Our arrival coincided with a show being held at The Montague Bookmill, which is up a flight of stairs from The Lady Killgrew Cafe, where we had heard they pulled some nice pints. We were super psyched to see this Imperial IPA from Southern Tier on a small but impressive tap list and both ordered one to take up to the show. Southern Tier brews some seriously huge beers and this one is no exception. It poured rust red and rather thick into the huge snifters it was being served in and it had a nice and light half-inch head. You could smell it before you even got it near your face and once you had your nose in the bowl it was enough to make your eyes water. Fruit, hops, and alcohol all came on strong, and the insane hop additions really came through in the flavor as well. It’s certainly robust and really highlights how these modern hop bomb beers are not just one note brews but can really bring a lot of complexity to the table with their intricately structured hop profiles. There was fruity citrus and resinous pine as well as a nice balance between the hops’ bitterness and subtle spice. The malt backed things up nicely and helped keep the 11% ABV from being too overt.

We always have great beer when we come up here (looking forward to grabbing a few People’s Pint bombers tomorrow) and it was nice to see one of my favorite New York brewer’s beers on tap. It was also so effective in making me forget the pain being seated for hours had caused me that I proceeded to sit through the entire show while drinking it.