Bischoff Doppel Bock

I'm always a sucker for a new beer. A new German beer only sweetens the deal, and if it's a double bock? Well, that's just icing on the cake. Double bocks are my favorite style, after all. My latest find: Bischoff Doppel Bock from Privatbrauerei Bischoff. I wasn't happy about the green bottle, of course, but I tried to mitigate that by selecting a bottle from the back of the shelf.

Curiously, this half-liter bottle was topped off by a twist-off cap, something you don't see every day in the beer world. A novelty perhaps, but not something that makes much of a difference in the end. Bock in German means goat, and bock beers get their name from the extra "kick" they provide in flavor and alcohol. Doppel, or double bocks have even more malty flavor and a higher alcohol strength; Bischoff's Doppelbock has an alcohol potency of 7.5% by volume.

The Bischoff brewery is located in Winnweiler in Germany's Rheinland-Pfalz state. The company has operated there since 1866, and will celebrate it's 150th anniversary in 2016. Bischoff has maintained a family tradition of brewing, a practice not uncommon amongst German brewers and tradesman in general.
 
Bischoff Doppel Bock pours to a beautiful dark chestnut color with a very thick but sparsely packed tan head formation and an inviting nutty malt nose. The beer has a full, rich body that just slides over the tongue luxuriantly, depositing melanoidin-infused notes of toasted nuts, light chocolate, brown sugar, and molasses. A hint of fruity raisin seems out of place for the style, however. The finish is balanced by alcohol warmth and a touch of grassy hops.

This is a very rich German doppel, with a big body and a lot of flavor. definitely a sipping brew, I'll give it four stars out of five as a credible example of the style (except for the raisin) and a darned fine sipping beer for a cool fall evening. maybe not up to par with my favorites (Augustiner Maximator, Paulaner Salvator, Spaten Optimator, Tucker Bajuvator), but a beer I would certainly buy from time to time. And at five bucks for a half liter bottle, not a bad buy, either.

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