He'Brew Rejewvenator Dubbel Doppel (2013 Limited Release)

Brewed By: Shmaltz Brewing Company in Brooklyn, New York  

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Belgian Dubbel/Doppelbock, 8.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

As a gentile, I have to give props to He'Brew for taking their beer names and sticking it to all the folks that can't enjoy an awesome name like "Rejewvenator." I say that as a gentile, though. About He'Brew:

He'Brew is part of the Shmaltz Brewing Company. The Shmaltz Brewing Company has two lines of beer: their He'Brew The Chosen Beer, and their Coney Island Craft Lagers. Shmaltz Brewing Company is a craft brewery based in San Francisco, California, founded by Jeremy Cowan in 1996. The company previously contract brewed most of their beer through the Mendocino Brewing Company, while operating a small brewery in Brooklyn, New York. After 16 years of having their beer contract brewed, the Shmaltz Brewing Company opened its own New York State microbrewery in Clifton Park, NY. The new location features a 50-barrel brewhouse, with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity, and began production April/May 2013, officially opening July 2013. The company is known for its innovative beer, eye-catching bottle artwork, and sense of humor. For more information, check out the Shmaltz website HERE. Don't be a schmuck!

The 2013 Rejewvenator is all kinds of crazy. The bottle states that this is a "Belgian Style Dubbel Ale" AND a "Doppelbock European Lager." How can that be, wondered no one reading this crappy blog. According to my bottle, this beer is brewed with Lager and Belgian Ale yeast, in addition to some 2-row, Munich, CaraVienna, and Dark Crystal malts, and some Warrior, Cascade, Amarillo, Crystal, and Goldings hops. Oh, and this beer tosses in some dates and figs because why not! You can also check out the 2013 Rejewvenator at the Shmaltz Brewing website. 

This one gushed a bit upon opening, but I assume this is bottle conditioned so blah blah tread lightly. The beer pours into a reddish-brown body that doesn't look half as murky as most Belgian Dubbels, and I kicked up a finger of bready, tan-colored head. In bright light the beer is a clear, transparent, SUPER CLEAN, reddish-orange color. Maybe it isn't conditioned? I don't know how they worked the Lager yeast and Belgian yeast. The beer has a hazy cauldron effect, and swirling the beer kicks up some healthy carbonation, along with some lacing and legs. It's a good looking beer.

He'Brew Rejewvenator 2013

The aroma on this beer is super weird...I'm getting big plums, figs, and clove...but it's clashing with dates and apples (and apple slaw salad), and a clean (but slightly spicy) Lager yeast. There's some candi sugar and musty funk on the nose as well. I'm also getting some faint toast/chocolate...hmmm...

If you drink a lot of Belgian Dubbels, you will immediately know that something is amiss here. You get plum and clove in this, along with some musty Belgian funk, but that transitions to a sharp Bock-like cleanness with fruity and malty flavors. I'm picking up some apple, berries, and lighter caramel. You do pick up on the dates and figs, and there's lots of shades of purple grapes and plums and dark fruits in this. You also get some hints at toast, and the finish leans towards a Bock.

I'm inclined to say this is more of a Bock than a Dubbel, as this drifts towards malty sweetness. It's good though. The mouthfeel is medium-full, and super clean. The beer is supported by good carbonation, and a malty-sweet body. There's a touch of booze in the back, but it's like a subtle kiss in a good dessert wine...so drinkability is high. Palate depth and complexity are both alright. Up front is big clove, Belgian yeast, and some plums/figs/dates; that rolls into some malty sweetness, a hint of bitterness, some musty funk, and some burnt sugars; the back is dry malty sweetness, some toast, and a very Bock-like finish.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. This was a fun experiment, and this beer reads like a Fall/Autumn beer. Which is perfect, because Autumn is around the corner. Having said that, I kind of feel like a beer brewed with dates, figs, and fermented out with two types of yeast should blow me away. This works nicely as a good, solid Doppelbock...I wouldn't call it a Dubbel. Though, there's a lot of nods towards plums and clove in this, and perfumey candi sugar. It's a fun beer for sure, and I look forward to seeing what the 2014 Rejewvenator will be. I'm going to pair this beer with a brat and some salads, but the malty sweetness and kiss of booze you get in this beer would go well with desserts, creme brulee, or even a burger/steak with caramelized onions and a nice dark, sweet sauce. 

Random Thought: What is up with people photographing/recording their wedding proposals, and then posting that shit on Reddit, YouTube, and Facebook. First off, how creepy is it to have a camera person hidden in some bush 500 yards away from where you are proposing. Even if that person is your friend, it's still fucking weird. And then you have to make sure the camera person doesn't blow your cover, or you don't give their position away when you keep stealing glances in their direction. And then to top it all off you are going to post what is supposed to be one of -- if not THE MOST -- romantic and intimate moment in your life so all your dumbass friends can see it on Facebook? I guess. Whatever floats your boat, honky. 

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

Brewed By: Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn in Kelheim, Germany

Purchased: 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 (2011 bottle???)

Style/ABV: Eisbock, 12.0%

Eisbock...I haven't talked about those yet. Thankfully, it's like the most straightforward twist on a popular style of beer. Eisbock is a traditional Kulmbach beer, brewed by freezing a Doppelbock (freeze distillation, baby) and removing the ice to concentrate the flavor and alcohol. I guess I am kind of half-assing it, since my homies at The German Beer Institute have a lengthy write-up on the style. 

Obviously, this style is pronounced "Ice-Bock," only in ze Germans. Ice Bocks are a warming, nourishing, comforting beer -- perfect for the winter. These strong beers benefit from the fact that water freezes before alcohol, so you can remove the water from beer (or any alcoholic solution) to increase alcohol concentration. Eisbocks are members of the Bockbier family, and are most similar to Doppelbocks. The style should have some alcohol present, but as a "fiery afterglow," not a harsh assault. This is as style of beer intended to be sipped like a Sherry or Port...which is funny, because many American breweries have pushed the envelope well past 12.0% ABV. You can read more about the accidental discovery (or alleged history) of the Eisbock at the German Beer Institute...and definitely do, their website is the tits.

About Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn:

Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn have been challenging people with the pronunciation of their names since 1872. Their website is in German, but has an English translation button on the bottom of the site. I'm lazy, so I'm going off the Wikipedia article. The brewery began as a Bavarian brewery that acquired the Weisses Brauhaus/Microbrewery in Munich. The owners then expanded the brewery to Kelheim and Straubing. After Munich was destroyed in the 1944 bombing (World War II, folks), all production was moved to Kelheim. This is a family run brewery with lots of tradition, and is currently owned by Georg Schneider VI (source). 

The Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock is a hearty beer. Punching in at 12.0%, this beer is described as featuring aromas of ripe plum, almonds, marzipan, banana, and clove. Ratebeer has a blurb about how Aventinus re-discovered the Eisbock by accident, when prior to the 1940s Aventinus would ship their beers across Bavaria in containers that didn't have temperature control. I'm curious how that story holds up, but I'm no beer historian. Anyway...

Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

The beer pours a raisin, dark brown, cola-black color, with a hazy body. This beer looks like it has some age on it, and if the "2011" by the bottle number indicates anything, it's that this beer has seen some serious shit. With an aggressive pour I kicked up a finger or two of tan head, but that rapidly fizzled away. There's a ring of tan lacing on the edges, and swirling the beer unlocks some sexy alcohol legs. In bright light the beer is a dark golden raisin/grape/swamp brown color. Ain't no light shining through this murky stuff.

When I was pouring this I was getting aromas of raisin bread, and hot damn, I love raisin bread. This has a sweet aroma, with lots of wheat, and HUGE banana. I'm also getting BIG banana bread...like, melted banana bread. There's some clove, bubble gum, waves of raisins and grapes, hints of leather, and an earthy, wine-like aroma. The nose is also velvety and smooth...hinting at what I'm likely about to taste.

This is some nice shit. This is super smooth, but it retains a wheat beer quality without going full Doppelbock...but it's still very clean. There's some booze in this, but it's a warming heat more than anything. I'm getting big wheat, banana, banana bread, raisins, grapes, berries, blueberry syrup, almost maple/maple syrup, and a big kiss of heat...the heat is fantastic, without any tannin presence or kick. It's like a super smooth port wine or something. As you pick up the heat towards the back palate, you get those complex berries and fruits with the booze, along with kisses of sugary maple. Really fantastic stuff.

This is dense, full-bodied, and has growing heat/booze on the finish, followed by sticky sweetness. I should say, the wheat and smoothness of this beer help carry it front to mid-palate, where it is more like a medium-full beer. Palate depth is divine, and complexity is alright. I feel like this could go places...but it's still fantastic. Wheat, banana, clove, banana bread up front; that rolls into a touch of hop bite, almonds, marzipan, complex fruits, grapes, raisins, burgeoning berries and booze; the back end is warming heat, berries, maple syrup, complex sugars, and fade to a hot, sticky finish (oh..la...la).

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'll go with a Decent Divine Brew. I'm really enjoying the way this beer works across the palate, providing a nice variety of flavors and finishing with a fantastically complex boozy/warming back end. This beer would be dynamite in the winter months. I know there are stronger beers out there, but for whatever reason, the 12.0% in this beer really gets the job done. I'm feeling a lot of warming in my tummy, and it's pleasant and nice. I would drink this beer by itself, or pair it with some pecan pie. You could also pair this beer with something really spectacular, like a super raunchy burger, duck, or something like that. This sells for like 6 or 7 bucks a bottle...which is a steal. Check this out.

Random Thought: I love three-day weekends. And the best part isn't just the holiday weekend, it's the fact that the following work week is only four days long. Four days to go...

Two Brothers Incinerator Blonde Doppelbock (15 Years With 15 Beers Series)

Brewed By: Two Brothers Brewing Company in Warrenville, Illinois

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, Illinois; 2012

Style/ABV: Doppelbock (Imperial Maibock?), 8.2%

In celebration of 15 years of brewing (Two Brothers opened in 1996), Two Brothers has been rolling out 14 of their past artisan beers as part of a limited series. The 15th release in this limited series is going to be a new artisan beer. A bit about Two Brothers:

Two Brothers are based out of Warrenville, Illinois, a town not far from Chicago. Two brothers was founded in 1996 by brother Jason and Jim Ebel. Their brewery and Tap House Restaurant are both located in Warrenville. Their distribution and production seems to be increasing with each year, and along with their beer you can buy home brewing equipment and supplies at the Tap House Restaurant.  

The Incinerator is release number 8 of 15. The bottle states: 

We were joking around one afternoon at the brewery that we thought it was funny how most Dopplebocks end in "ator." We started throwing around funny names we could call one if we ever made the style. When incinerator came up we knew we had to make it. We add Tellicherry black pepper-corns to give us a unique character that balances the big malt notes of this Dopplebock.

Today's beer is pretty cool. This beer was originally brewed with the intention of being a Maibock (a Bock brewed with lighter malts), but ended up kicking just a little harder than expected. The brewery decided to add some black pepper-corn to further spice things up. Clocking in at 8.2% ABV, and 32 IBUs, this is the type of big beer that makes the transition from Summer to Autumn more bearable. Let's get this into a glass, and celebrate 15 years of Two Brothers!

 Incinerator Blonde Doppelbock

The beer pours with a thumb's worth of head made up of finely packed bubbles. The head doesn't hang around for too long, but is leaving some minimal lacing. I do see some alcohol on the side of my glass when I swirl the beer around. In low light, the head is slightly off-white with a golden tint, and the body is a dark yellow/bronze color. In bright light this is a golden-orange beer, the head is still slightly orange/gold, and you can see a stream of moderate, medium-sized bubbles rising upwards. This looks to be filtered. 

The aroma is sweet bready malts, a slight earthy/lemon hop character, some Noble hop character, and what smells like some Vienna or Munich malts. I'm also getting some pepper in this, as well as some weird apple cinnamon note and some honey.

The taste is a pleasant follow-through of the nose, with a lot of sweet grainy notes. This drinks like a refined Lager, with some apple, pear, light peppercorn and cinnamon spice, grain and bread, and some hints of hops. The alcohol is really well-hidden if not totally hidden in this.

This is dangerously light and refreshing for an 8.2% ABV beer. This has a medium-light to light mouthfeel, and is supported by a lot of dry and effervescent carbonation. Palate depth is great, and complexity is moderate. Up front is carbonation, light fruits like pears, grapes and apples, and some sweet malts; this rolls into sweet malts, and some nice subtle hop profiles emerge; the back end is slightly spicy, with lingering hops and sweetness. The finish reminds me of a cider or champagne, and is slightly dry and dusty.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Decent Above-Average rating on this. This is really light and refreshing, and yet has a lot of sustenance and a nice front-to-back palate experience. I actually really dig this, and would love to drink this during the early Fall months. 6-pack this stuff, Two Brothers!? I'd say check this out if you can. Cheers!

Samuel Adams Double Bock (Imperial Series)

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts
Purchased: Single bottle (12oz) from a 4-pack bought at Jewel in Chicago, IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Doppelbock, 9.50%

Tonight I'm wrapping up the Sam Adams Imperial Series of beers, at least for now. I haven't picked up their Imperial Stout, but I've had it in the past and it is okay (probably a strong Average beer for me). I do have another Sam Adams' beer coming down the line, but it is from their barrel series

Samuel Adams was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, and currently the Boston Beer Company is the largest American-owned beer company in the United States. Sam Adams is also the largest craft brewer in America, with over a million barrels of beer being produced annually. You can check out the Sam Adam's website for more info.

Tonight's beer is a straight up German-style, Doppelbock. The German Beer Institute does a nice write-up on the style of beer, but there's a few basic tenets you should know. Bocks are dark, malty, lightly hopped ales originating from 14th century Germany, from the brewers in the Hanseatic town of Einbeck. The style of beer from Einbeck was adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century, and adapted to the new lager style of brewing. Due to the Bavarian accent that the citizens of Munich had, they called the beer "Einbeck" as "ein Bock," or ("a billy goat"), and thus the beer became known as "bock," and remains that way to this day. Doppel means "double." Thus, a "Doppelbock" is literally a "double bock."

Doppelbocks emerged in the late 18th century as a big lager variant of old monastic strong beer, which was dubbed the monk's "liquid bread." This "liquid bread" was traditionally brewed for the Lenten season when the monks would fast, and they were not allowed to eat any solid food. The monks believed that liquids cleansed the body and soul, and would drink the beer for sustenance in place of the food they could not eat. The secular version of the strong beer was called "Bockbier." The first Lenten strong beer was brewed by the monks at Paulaner at Cloister Neudeck ob der Au in Munich. The German Beer institute shares this wonderfully amusing historical piece:

"The Paulaners had arrived in Munich from Italy in 1627. They began brewing beer for their own comsumption shortly thereafter—exactly when is not clear. Depending on which documents one can trust, the year was 1630, 1651 or 1670. The Paulaners felt, however, that such a strong brew with such delightful qualities might be just a bit too much of an indulgence for Lent. So they decided to ask the Holy Father in Rome for a special dispensation so that they could continued to brew it with a clear conscience. The Paulaners dispatched a cask of Lenten beer to Rome for the pope to try and to pass judgment. During its transport across the Alps and along the burning sun of Italy, unfortunately—or fortunately—the cask tossed and turned, and heated for several weeks—a classic condition for causing beer to turn sour and undrinkable. So when the Holy Father tasted the much-praised stuff from Munich, he found it (appropriately) disgusting. His decision: Because the brew was so vile, it was probably beneficial for the souls of the Munich monks to make and drink as much of it as they could. Therefore, he willingly gave the brewing of this new, allegedly rotten, beer style his blessing. Little did he know...!"

Doppelbocks tend to be high in alcohol and sweet, with a large, creamy head, huge malt aromas, toasty notes and aromas, and a rich and malty flavor. There may be some dark fruits in the mix. If you check out Sam Adams' Double Bock page, you can find out all about this beer. This beer uses half a pound of malts per bottle, and doesn't use any black malts to avoid any burnt malt characters. The beer is brewed with pale and caramel malts, and features Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops (for support). This beer was first brewed by Sam Adams in 1988 (!!!! I find that surprising!), and clocks in at a giant 9.5% ABV, 25 IBUs, and will increase your waistline by 323 calories per 12oz bottle. This is liquid bread, bitches.

Samuel Adams Double Bock

The beer pours a dark, caramel/brown/red color in low light, with 3-fingers of foamy, thick, root beer float-looking head. The head has a nice caramel/tan color. There is a ton of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles in this, and the beer looks to be filtered. The beer is dark enough that you can't really see through it, even in bright light. In bright light, the beer is more ruby red/brown, with an eggnog head. The head dissolved fairly quick, but there is about a half pinky's worth of head hanging around. I'm not getting alcohol legs, but I am getting lacing as the super creamy/sticky head hangs to the side of my glass.

It's the damnedest thing with the aroma...this totally uses the same malts or yeast that the Imperial White uses. I get big malts on this, with some caramel, molasses, astringent malt sweetness that is manifesting as Twizzlers and BIG soy sauce. There's some slight toast, and some elusive dark fruits like plums or figs. This is probably an aging bottle, so maybe the alcohol has had some time to settle down, but there is just a hint of booze in the nose.

Ah...finally, the payoff with that huge, thick mouthfeel. The Imperial White and the Wee Heavy both have sticky/dense mouthfeels, probably to a fault. But here, I welcome it. And there is some huge warming on the back end. This opens up with ultra creamy and smooth carbonation, and huge caramel malts, kettle malts, malt sugars, and underlying dark fruits. This rolls into more sweet malts and some toast. The finish is huge, boozy, and you get some nice hints of plums and figs in the mix with the caramelized malts. I'm also getting a hint of spice in the back end of this, maybe from the alcohol? There's some bready/banana/raisin hints in here as well. Overall, hugely malty, dense, creamy, smooth, and nicely warming on the back end. This would make a great Autumn or Winter warmer.

This isn't the most refined Doppelbock I've had, but it's pretty damn accomplished. The mouthfeel is full, sticky, and dense; but also creamy and smooth. I'd say this is a full beer, as it should be. Palate depth is great, and complexity is moderate. Up front is smooth, creamy sweet malt goodness; the middle rolls into malts and toast; the back end is hints of dark fruits, malts, spice, and some big burly warming.

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Finally, a beer from the Sam Adams Imperial Series that really owns that huge, sticky mouthfeel. The alcohol is so mellow on this, and you get huge caramel malts, dark fruits, toast, and maybe even some bready-ness. This is worthy of being called "liquid bread." But really, this is just a nice take on a style of beer that I really enjoy. I'd dig this is as a late Fall beer, or an anytime-Winter beer. I'd pair this with a hearty meal, probably dark or red meats or heavy chicken. Really good stuff here, and probably my current favorite from Sam Adams' Imperial Series.

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Brewed By: Brauerei Aying in Aying, Germany

Purchased: Single 11.2oz bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2011

Style/ABV: Doppelbock, 6.7%

 

Do I love Ayinger or what? Ayinger is a German brewery that has been around since 1877 and is located a couple miles away from Munich. Their website can be found here. I'm a big fan of the Ayinger Bräu-Weisse Hefeweizen, but today I am drinking their Doppelbock.

Doppelbock means "double Bock." Bocks are a strong lager that originate from Germany, primarily consumed during the spring months to celebrate the end of winter. Bock means "billy-goat" in German, and there are several theories as to why this style of beer is named as such. I won't go into all those theories, but if you see artwork that portrays goats on Bock beers, you now know why. Of course this is a "double" Bock, so it is going to be slightly stronger than a standard Bock. Doppelbocks are known to be quite malty and to be decently potent in terms of ABV. Ayinger's Celebrator is one of the top rated Doppelbocks, so bottoms up.

 

The pour yields a dark beer with a nice 2-finger tan/brown head. The head is surprisingly thick and has good density to it. The head is receding fairly quickly, and I have to image that the 6.7% ABV is the contributing factor there. This is a big ABV beer, especially considering the style and ingredients. The body of this beer looks deceptively darker in low light, but it is actually a very dark purple-brown-red color. Hints of red, brown, and purple escape off the sides of my glass when the beer is held up to light. You can actually kind of see into the center of this beer; the beer is reacting favorably to the nucleation site on my glass.

Beer and Twizzlers...a match made in heaven

I love dark malty beers. This beer has all sorts of cool phenols and aromas, but let me talk about the big one. I am getting huge Twizzler notes from the aroma of this beer. That's right...Twizzler. This beer smells a lot like Twizzler candy. There is also some burnt toast and some caramel; lots of dark fruits like figs, prunes and even plums. There are aromas similar to molasses; and pulls towards fruit cake. I'm picking up a steamed vegetable note as well.

 

This is really complex based on my first taste. I want my beer to warm up, so let me put some thoughts on the complexity of this beer out there. This is a very carbonated beer, right up front you get good carbonation. The beer smooths out big time, and really reaches nice depths on your palate. The back end finishes off with toasted notes, and even a slight smoked quality. There is some warming and some booze. At 6.7% you would expect it. But the alcohol really mellows out when held against the dark fruit notes and big malts. 

Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

There is a lot of caramel, sweet malts, and molasses in this beer. All of these flavors are enhanced by a silky smokey quality. There are definite pulls towards things like fruit cake, figs and raisins, and other dark fruits as well. You do taste the alcohol a bit as well. And Twizzlers! Again, I am getting manifestations of Twizzlers in the flavor profile of this beer. It's not a bad thing because I love Twizzlers, so there you go.

The front end is carbonated and sweet: you get some malts and some dark fruits. The middle rolls into more dark fruits and some smokiness. The back is toasty, bread-like, smokey, boozy, warming, and quite nice. This is a complex beer with moderate to deep depth on the palate. This is a medium-full beer that is surprisingly drinkable (...and low-calories: apparently 150ish for a bottle? Not sure I believe that.) despite its big flavor profile and ABV.

 

Rating: Divine Brew 

Score: 96% 

 

I love this beer. This is a brilliantly executed beer. This is also top-shelf stuff as far as Doppelbocks are concerned. But this isn't just a great Doppelbock; this is a great "any style" beer. I'm really enjoying the back-end of this beer. This beer has a nice warming effect and you can feel the alcohol. This is truly a beer meant to be consumed on a cold spring day when it feels more like winter outside than spring.

 

In summary, here is why this beer kicks ass: it's not too expensive, it pours beautifully. It smells really aromatic and complex, and it tastes complex. There are some great dark fruit and dark malt flavors being bounced around in here. All these great flavors do not come at the expense of drinkability - this is a highly drinkable beer - and yet this beer is still complex and has great depth on the palate.

 

Oh and because of Twizzlers. That's why. So don't hesitate to pick this beer up.