Filed under: Tasting | Tags: beer, dopplebock, double dead guy, rogue, Tasting
I ventured over to Zipp’s Liquor sometime in late September, early October to track down some Surlyfest. It was my first time there. While I snooped around there beer selection, I stumbled across this bottle of Double Dead Guy Ale. It being the last one, and me not knowing anything about it, I bought it in case it was the last of some magical brew, never to be seen again. Further research determined that it was not magical, but it was a single batch brew. The bottle looks awesome and I have never seen another, either before or since.
For weeks it has sat in my bedroom, tempting me, testing me, persuading me, until today.
Appearance
The color is a deep amber, slightly red, with an approximate color of 15 SRM. Large opaque head formation, very thick and clumpy. Decent lacing as the beer is drank.
Smell
The smell is a mixture of dough and caramel or molasses or really good maple syrup. Reminds me of an Old/Stock Ale. No hop presence.
Taste
The taste has the same caramel flavor as the scent. Notes of roasted malt are present behind the caramel. A very slight aftertaste of hops is present, subtly bitter, without any citrus or floral notes. No bite from the alcohol whatsoever- possibly a bad attribute for a 9% brew.
Mouthfeel
Thick and flat. The beer is reasonably carbonated, but feels very viscous and heavy on the tongue. Again, it is reminiscent of a molasses or syrup, albeit a very thin, very alcoholic one.
Drinkability
Should definitely be a sipper, at this size. The richness helps to limit the pace at which I can drink a glass. It is very smooth however, with nothing to disagree with. I could drink several of these on a cold night, but I might regret it in the morning.
Summary: An excellent brew, very similar to Thomas Hardy’s Old Ale, although a bit thinner, and a slight bit less caramelly (not sure if that’s a real word, but it’s a good one). Rouge’s site lists the beer as being 20 degrees plato, 60 IBU, 78 apparent attenuation, and 25 degrees lovibond. They include tastes of apricot and spice which I did not pick up upon. They list the hops as cascade, which would explain the grapefruit taste. I believe I did not pick up on this, either because I am a simple plebeian or the bottle is old enough to have lost some hop flavor (it degrades relatively quickly).
The label says that it pairs well with pork, so I went to Burrito Loco and got some pork tacos. The tacos were good, and the beer was good, but I didn’t feel like they enhanced each other very well. I imagine the brewers were thinkin more of pork roast or a pork chop than they were of these tacos. Oh well.
It’s been such a long time…
Funny how two weeks can turn in to three months, huh? Well, school came crashing in at full force, including the most ridiculous Gopher football schedule/season I have ever seen. Along the way, my attention was pulled from this endeavor, but I shall now return with a revived fervor.
So, way back, when the universe was but a singularity waiting to explode, I crafted a beer known as “Leftover EPA.” It was then bottled, and sat for many a fornight. I have since had several of those bottles and enjoyed them very much. Tonight I shall open one for my first–of what I hope to be many–tastings. Since I’m new to this, I’ve followed the guide on tasting format, as given by BeerAdvocate.
Appearance
Pale amber color. Using wikipedia’s SRM entry and the backlight of my laptop screen, I’d estimate an SRM value of approximately 8. Despite being a light color, the beer seems darker than it actually is because it is incredibly cloudy. As mentioned in the brewing write-up, a lot of sediment from the loose leaf hops made it into the carboy and then into the bottles. I have done a better job of decanting the beer with previous bottles. This bottle was laying down before being chilled for only 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The beer was rather thin on head; I tried to pour softly to limit sediment pick-up and the beer was rather cold as well. What head did form was very white, and clung to the wals of the glass for a good minute or two before receeding back to the beer.
Smell
Very soft odor, again possibly due to the cold serving temp, although it did not increase upon warming. A noticeable alcohol pungency, and a slight touch of spicy/citrus hops. Also a hint of raw sugar scent in the background.
Taste
Incredibly sweet. This bottle is much sweeter than other bottles. It may be again to serving temp, but it seems too far out to be such. Could this bottle have received more bottling sugar? Maybe less yeast made it to the bottle and less fermentation took place? After the sweetness subsides, a huge hit of hops bitterness floods the tongue. The bitterness is not very intense, but there is a lot of it.
Mouthfeel
The beer is very smooth, and creamy. The carbonation is mellow, so the there is no harsh carbon-dioxide buzz found with highly carbonated beer. It also feels very thick on the tongue.
Drinkability
The beer is easily drinkable, but the sweetness prevents me from drinking more than one in a sitting. With time, the sweetness may settle down, but the hop presence will as well. If I repeat this recipe, I may substitute a yeast with a higher attenuation rate or decrease the amount of malt. Using a yeast starter or possibly re-pitching are possible alternatives.
I have at least one bottle left, I believe there are actually two. I will be sure to properly prepare these bottles and review them to compare differences from bottle to bottle.
