Session #11: Doppelbock, But Not Really

Happy New Year, and Happy New Session! This is the first Friday of both the year and the month, which
means it’s beer blogging Friday, also known as The Session, which this month is under the decree of Wilson over at Beervana. Today’s topic: Doppelbocks.

As a style, the doppelbock is oft misunderstood by well-meaning souls who insist it is thus named because it contains twice the alcohol of a bock. It does not. A typical bock, which is a classically Germanic style of strong, malty lager, contains about 6-6.5% alcohol, while a typical doppelbock boasts about 8% alcohol by volume. The “doppel,” or double, reference in the name likely refers to the markings made upon the barrels in which the beer was once held, one “X” denoting the regular, every day beer and “XX” marking the stronger and more nutritious beer meant for honored visitors and feast days.

(Remember that beer was once quite rightly thought of as a food, rather than an alcoholic drink, and so the more barley used in its creation, the more nutritious it was thought. Of course, barley being the source of fermentable sugars in beer, more nutritious also usually translated into stronger.)

In my part of the world, bock in general and doppelbocks in particular are in very short supply, as I moan about greatly in my other blog. So, rather than fall back on the German classic, Paulaner Salvator, I decided instead to dig into my cellar and came up with a 1996 vintage of Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock.

The Richelbrau, as its name indicates, is not strictly a doppelbock, but an eisbock, that being a bock which is concentrated through freezing and the removal of the frozen water. Think of it as a sort of post-fermentation ice wine. And at roughly 10% alcohol, it’s also strong.

Even after eleven years of aging, this mahogany beer has not lost much in terms of aroma. Notes of concentrated molasses and tanned leather dominate, with black licorice, toasted spice and a hint of burnt coffee lurking in the background. In the body, the beer’s former complexity has been somewhat muted by the passage of time, with apple skin and anise notes up front and an almost oily, burnt spice body accented by notes of toasted demerara sugar, intense black licorice and a sort of peaty smokiness. In the finish, it’s almost all alcohol, with little subtlety brought to bear.

Overall, I think I prefer this beer young and fresh, but at the same time I’m glad I aged this one and will certainly continue exploring it until the end of the glass. In that respect, at least, it’s a much more successful conclusion that was my other Session experience today.