Lucubrator Doppelbock

Review Date 9/10/2021  By John Staradumsky

  Style: Doppelbock   Brewery: Occidental   Country: USA   State: Oregon   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 6.8%

Here’s my second beer (but first review) from the Occidental Brewery of Portland, Oregon. The first was a very fine Hefeweizen; the one I am here to tell you about today is a doppelbock. Doppelbocks, of course, are my very favorite style of beer. Truth be told, I am an avid lover of all types of German beer (pretty much all types of beer period, but German beer most of all). Occidental specializes in German beer, so they immediately have my attention.

So friends, I give you, Occidental Lucubrator Doppelbock. In researching the name, I learned a new word! Yes, that word is “lucubrate”, which Webster’s defines as to work by lamplight, compose by night. The “ator” suffix is a staple for German doppelbocks. On the label, you can see a goat (bock is German for goat) holding a book and a candle. I myself have spent many nights lucubrating, without knowing the word. Mostly writing beer reviews.

From the label:

Our award-winning doppelbock is dark and rich with a perfect balance of caramel, melanoidin, and a touch of roast malt. A subtle sweetness and pleasant finish make it a nice winter warmer.

Winter warmer! Doppelbocks are often released in January and February, just in time to warm in the depths of winter. I am not sure when my can was packaged (there is no freshness dating on it), but I do know that I bought my can of Lucubrator from Craftshack on June 26^th of 2021, and they had just added the beer for sale. I received it about a week later and drank it on August 26^th. The beer has an alcohol content of 6.8% by volume and I paid $3.49 for my can. That’s the only pricing information I could find.

Occidental Lucubrator Doppelbock pours to a dark mahogany color with a medium sized head of creamy tan foam and a nose of rich toasty nutty malt. Taking a sip, the beer is medium to full in body, rich with deep seated toasty nutty malts in the palate, a hint of molasses, a hint of chocolate, and a gently sweet warming finish. The beer explodes with beautiful melanoidin goodness, and hits the mark for what I want a doppelbock to be.

Occidental is really hitting all the right notes for me, and I have more of their beers on deck. Back soon to tell you about those, too.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??