Schloss Eggenberg
Doppelbock Dunkel
Review Date 6/1/2008
Try?
Re-buy?
OK, so I have to
confess that we beer geeks owe the folks at Austria’s Schloss Eggenberg
brewery a lot. After all, they’re the ones who revived Swiss brewer
Hurlimann’s legendary
Samichlaus beer, and they also brew up a mean little potion called
Urbock 23 that may
be one of the best beers you can buy anywhere.
That said, my expectations for Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel were somewhat high. And now that I’ve qualified my review thusly, I’m sure you’re ready for the bomb I’m about to drop: Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel was somewhat of a disappointment.
Schloss, of course, is German for castle, and although one may be tempted to think that nothing mediocre could possibly come out of a castle, I’ll have to respectfully disagree in this case. Mediocre, at least, as far as doppelbocks go, and doppelbocks of course are my favorite style of beer, so perhaps I demand an overly exacting standard.
Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel pours to a dark reddish brown color with a light but decidedly creamy head formation and a surprisingly faint nose of sweet caramelly malt. Two things hit me right away when I poured this beer: first was the flow of the liquid itself, it was somewhat thinner and less viscous than I was expecting. Second was the aroma, I should have been getting two brimming nostrilfulls of sweet chewy malt, and I didn’t get that either.
A sip confirmed my suspicions, and I immediately remarked that the body here is somewhat thinner than the superb Augustiner Maximator I’ve been drinking a lot of lately. That’s not to say that this is a bad beer: it has some decidedly nutty Munich malt notes, a good dash of chocolate, a hint of molasses, and a grassy hop finish. There’s a warming alcohol presence too; at 8.5% alcohol by volume this is a potent sipping brew to be sure.
And while I like it well enough, I’m not sure I’d pay $3.99 for another bottle of it, and even then the bottle is only 11.2 ounces, not 12. There are much better doppels out there says I, especially at this price which works out to about $25.65 a six-pack. The aforementioned Augustiner is a much better bargain at $12 a sixer, and Paulaner Salvator or Spaten Optimator are also better options at about $9 to $10 a six-pack.
That said, my expectations for Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel were somewhat high. And now that I’ve qualified my review thusly, I’m sure you’re ready for the bomb I’m about to drop: Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel was somewhat of a disappointment.
Schloss, of course, is German for castle, and although one may be tempted to think that nothing mediocre could possibly come out of a castle, I’ll have to respectfully disagree in this case. Mediocre, at least, as far as doppelbocks go, and doppelbocks of course are my favorite style of beer, so perhaps I demand an overly exacting standard.
Schloss Eggenberg Doppelbock Dunkel pours to a dark reddish brown color with a light but decidedly creamy head formation and a surprisingly faint nose of sweet caramelly malt. Two things hit me right away when I poured this beer: first was the flow of the liquid itself, it was somewhat thinner and less viscous than I was expecting. Second was the aroma, I should have been getting two brimming nostrilfulls of sweet chewy malt, and I didn’t get that either.
A sip confirmed my suspicions, and I immediately remarked that the body here is somewhat thinner than the superb Augustiner Maximator I’ve been drinking a lot of lately. That’s not to say that this is a bad beer: it has some decidedly nutty Munich malt notes, a good dash of chocolate, a hint of molasses, and a grassy hop finish. There’s a warming alcohol presence too; at 8.5% alcohol by volume this is a potent sipping brew to be sure.
And while I like it well enough, I’m not sure I’d pay $3.99 for another bottle of it, and even then the bottle is only 11.2 ounces, not 12. There are much better doppels out there says I, especially at this price which works out to about $25.65 a six-pack. The aforementioned Augustiner is a much better bargain at $12 a sixer, and Paulaner Salvator or Spaten Optimator are also better options at about $9 to $10 a six-pack.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
