Wolfgang Doppelbock Lager - Great Divide Brewing Company

turnerk3

South Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a charming dark amber hue, highly similar to a mahogany characteristic. A modest eggshell white head which has just as modest retention.

S: A delectable sweet, fruity makes up the foundation of the aroma. This is followed by a toasty, caramel essence which shapes into a respectably complex concoction.

T: The malts are much more reserved in the taste than in the smell. Surprisingly there is still a hint of hop bitterness, but it does well to remind you that you are drinking a dark lager. The toasty aspect comes out superbly. There is also an impressive masking of the ABV.

M: The carbonation is astounding. It provides an exceptional catalyst to supply the mouth with all the flavors. A slight Jekyll and Hyde effect occurs. The malts originally leave a subtle sticky, chewy feel, but after a while it seems to drain out the mouth. Resulting in an equivalent dryness on the tongue.

O: Notably unique brew that is a must try if available. This contributes an enjoyable twist to the style, and it does well to deliver an exceptionally easy to drink 8% beer.

Serving type: growler

08-10-2012 23:35:50 | More by turnerk3

One2Remeber

Florida

3.95/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Bright ruby red color / dark mahogany. Thick tannish head, doesn't stay long.

S: Rich sweet malts, mild toffee and hint of chocolate. Acidic aroma as it warms up.

T/M: Silky smooth for a lager. Tons of rich flavor. Starts off bitter then turns to a sticky sweetness and ends with a chewy toffee goodness.

O: This would pair perfect with a really sharp cheese. One of the most flavorful beers while still maintaining a level of drinkability. Reminds me of a mild, more drinkable scottish ale.

Serving type: growler

07-05-2012 02:50:26 | More by One2Remeber

lordofthewiens

Maine

4.24/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 6/5/12.
In a pilsner glass the beer was a turbid orange/brown color with a small tan head. There was a little bit of lace.

A nice aroma of dark fruit and caramel.

Great taste. Lots of toffee. Raisins and plums. Very smooth.

A rich beer, very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 19:15:05 | More by lordofthewiens

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.84/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

22 ounce bottle - $5.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Bottled On: Well, it's regrettably illegible, though, I can make out 2012.

Appearance: Pours a dark reddish-brown body with a wispy, sudsy layer of yellowed froth.

Smell: In the nose, a sizable pile of brown sugar, slight nuttiness, and toasted dark breadiness with the faintest hint of chocolate powder. Resounding fruitiness in the nose of candied dates and prunes. Even-handed dose of spicing. Some alcoholic wafts noted.

Taste: Fairly sweet upfront, with plenty of caramelized sugars, brown sugar, toasted (dark) bread crusts and some nutty, grainy hints. Very faint chocolate, molasses. As with the nose, there's a big 'pop' of fruitiness present. Herbal-toned, leafy hops, low bitterness. Wolfgang remains malty, fruity, and sweetish until the warming finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Slightly chewy, fluffy mouthfeel.

Overall: I liked it better than I thought I would. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 18:14:28 | More by ChainGangGuy

SHerninko

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed a bomber at a BYOB in Phoenixville, PA on 3/13/13.

*Appears very nice in the glass. 5 oz pours to share the bottle. Darker golden color. Nice slight head, some bubbles, carbonation just right.
*Smells include: Some muffin/bread, semi sweet, malty but balanced.
*Taste is: toffee, dark candy, sweet but not too sweet, balanced, very unique taste.
*Mouthfeel is thicker than thin, creamy, low carbonation smoothness, no bite,
*Overall a very enjoyable DB. Need to sip it a bit, its true to it's style and slightly thick. "bread is a glass".

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 14:56:32 | More by SHerninko

superspak

Michigan

4.2/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/5/2012. Pours fairly crystal clear deep mahogany color with a nice 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, raisin, prune, molasses, toast, toffee, chocolate, dark bread, biscuit, nuttiness, and roasted earthiness. Fantastic aromas with great complexity and balance of dark malty flavors with well balanced fruitiness. Taste of caramel, raisin, prune, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, chocolate, biscuit, nuttiness, and light roasted earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, dark fruit, molasses, toast, toffee, dark bread, biscuit, nuttiness, and light earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice flavor balance and complexity of dark malty flavors with moderate fruitiness; and zero cloying sweetness present after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a creamy, slick, and slightly syrupy mouthfeel that is very nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a highly excellent doppelbock! Great balance and complexity of malt flavors with moderate fruitiness; and extremely smooth to sip on. A highly enjoyable offering; one of the better examples I have had in the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 04:21:04 | More by superspak

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Clear, garnet and rust color mix. About one finger of head after a hardy pour. Tan foam eventually recedes to nothing.

Smells like a lot of dark fruit, rich, toasted and roasted bread crust. Sweet, roasted and rich aroma overall.

Rich, syrupy palate with a little abv.% heat that cuts through the palate on the finish.Rich, dark fruits, caramel and some dark toffee all mix together with a faint Earthy hop undertone. Rich, malty, sweet, and strong. A pretty good Doppelbock if I do say so!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 20:30:49 | More by scruffwhor

AltBock

Ohio

3.35/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz. red foil capped bomber bottle. Simple, but informative recycled paper label with a silhouette of a German man with mug of beer chasing a wiener dog with a sausage chain in its mouth. Right above them in a big red sash is the name of the beer. Off to the sides is a bottle date, food pairing suggestions, and a paragraph that has a brief history of the style and tasting notes in it.

Poured into a simple Pilsner glass. This Doppelbock appeared to be a mahogany color, but I believe it was more of a cherry wood color. No real highlights in this beer. Solid cherry wood color. On top was a 1/2 an inch dirty white head of foam. It wasn't white, but it wasn't tan either. Good retention that left behind a small skim of foam and tiny spots of lace around the color. Above average Doppelbock appearance.

The aroma just wasn't popping out. Even when it warmed up and it was swirled around, the aroma still didn't come up that much. I got a whiff of roasted malt, dark chocolate, a raisin or two, and a little caramel in the background. Not bad, but the aroma could have came out more.

It tasted like it smelled. And like the aroma, something was holding it back. The first taste that came to me was the roasted malt. That taste was then washed away by a gentle taste of dark chocolate, a touch of coffee, and then it finishes up with a dried hop taste. The dried hop taste at the end made it a little interesting. I think some caramel or molasses sweetness would have been better than a dried hops.

This was a medium bodied Doppelbock with a faint aftertaste. This faint aftertaste only consisted of a pinch of roasted malt, dark chocolate, and more dried hops. This aftertaste doesn't bother to stick around. 8% ABV? Felt more like it was between 5-6% ABV.

I'm on the fence with this beer. It looked nice, but it smelled and tasted like something was holding it back. I might try it again in the future. That's because it's a solid Doppelbock.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 05:18:10 | More by AltBock

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.51/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a balloon glass.

The beer is a deep dark mahogany color. A foamy cream colored head recedes to large bubbles and wisp. Webbed sticky lacing coats the glass. The aroma is toffee and caramel sweetness followed by an oak wood note with a faint smokiness. The taste is much like the aroma with delicious sweet caramel and buttery sweet bread starting off. Toffee comes in the middle with a slight woody quality to finish it. Faint hops in the finish that leaves a slight tang. Mouthfeel is sticky and otherwise medium in weight. Overall, this is truly delicious. I need to drink more Dopplebocks.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 00:57:32 | More by JuicesFlowing

brentk56

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear auburn color with a very nice head that turns rocky while leaving a fair amount of squiggly lace behind

Smell: Rich caramel and toasted brown bread aromatics with some fig and date elements

Taste: Opens with the caramel and toasted bread while adding the dried fruit, in the middle; moderately sweet, after the swallow, with a bit of graininess in the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: Better than most of the domestic examples of the style I have tried as it avoids the cloying sweetness; still it lacks some of the malty depth and complexity of the best of the German examples

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 01:31:24 | More by brentk56

Billolick

New York

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bomber bottle, Bottled on 6-14-2012, about 8 months in the bottle.

Pours a nice warm shade of darker brown, hazed, medium tan head, soft, fluffy and loose. Head stays nicely, leaves a thicker colar, and plenty of high, fine and scattered lacing.

Nose is bready, with a hint of nuttyness, and some sweet malts

Taste is full of toffee, dark breads, caramel and dark, ripe fruits. Deeply flavorful and tasty brew.

mouthfeel is soft and smooth, with carbonation on the lower side and feeling just about right.

Overall an enjoyable and worthy take on the noble style. Happy to get to try this slightly aged bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 02:20:29 | More by Billolick

chickenflea

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

Excellent dopple! Huge, foamy, then frothy, tan head that settles after a bit and some lace. Color is an nice, clear cherry brown. Aroma is fantastic with roast, malt, fruits. Flavor’s like nose with lots more going on. True to style. Lots of depth. Plenty of malt with muscle mildly bitter perfectly balance. Body is full and generally round. Finish is like true to flavor with no unpleasant surprises.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 22:58:46 | More by chickenflea

Ego

New Jersey

3.51/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

cold winter nights demand something a touch darker... I wasn't in the mood for a stout so perusing the old cellar I ran across this which I have neglected to try until this moment...

bottle marked 6/25/2012 as a born date

eyes...
this has been sleeping in my cellar some months now but still produces a big fluffy head of 2 fingers tall on an easy pour, the slightly craggy head has a lazy audible sizzle to it, the head maintains a decent size for the duration here, lacing is good, the carbonation does not seem to be in any rush as it saunters up in fairly organized columns of gas, sort of a brown tone with ruby glow, pretty good looking

nose...
lots o' prunes, bitter chocolate bars in the fridge, the bready-ness of the malts is hard to detect but definitely there, slight whiffs of a roasty cousin come a swishing by here and fro, interesting but nothing to write home about

taste etc...
for a moment there I thought the carbonation would be off putting.. but then it was OK on the swig but then it did get a bit too prickly on the aftertaste, bummer, this sips pretty smooth with a light medium body, definitely a bit lighter than many DBs I have encountered, that DB warming kick from the ABV is definitely there though, the malty dusty taste is present where the grains are really shining, it falls a bit short on what follows, instead of a deep roast flavor of coffee tone or perhaps chocolate it sort of peters out, not totally however... just a bit mild for my tastes.

verdict?
a good beer, definitely not an americanized version of the style and yet not as refined as the stalwarts brewing in germany

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 06:12:52 | More by Ego

Steamer

Missouri

4.64/5  rDev +16%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into a Pilsner glass. Beautiful deep amber color with red hues, rich looking. the color of the head compliments the liquid nicely and recedes to a thin layer across the top; lacing clings to glass for awhile. The aroma is a bit thin; hints of fruit and sourdough bread. Toffee flavor up front, light hops, very little bitterness. Tastes as rich as it looks. An excellent balance. Silky smooth mouthfeel; light carbonation. I enjoyed this beer immensely. A very nice break from the stouts and porters I usually load up on.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 01:00:34 | More by Steamer

slammo

New Jersey

4.36/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Purchased at Buy-Rite Liquors Jersey City. 22oz. Bottled on June 25. I am very happy with this Doppelbock. Pours a beautiful dark cherry color with a tan firm head. It looks delicious. Caramel nose and maybe some chocolate. The taste is of darkened fruit and toffee, some hops as it recedes. Very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2013 23:45:35 | More by slammo

drpimento

Wisconsin

4.51/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Excellent dopple! I let it warm a bit too much before pouring with a huge, foamy, then frothy, tan head that settles after a bit and some lace. Color is an nice, clear cherry brown. Aroma is fantastic with roast, malt, fruits. Flavor's like nose with lots more going on. True to style. Lots of depth. Plenty of malt with muscle and the carbonic tang and bitter perfectly balance. Body is full and generally round but with some sharp points. Finish is like flavor, long, and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:29:20 | More by drpimento

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -28%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On tap at Great Divide. Pours a moderate brown. Light toffee and dark fruit. Some sweetness. Medium body. Fairly good.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2013 03:52:10 | More by Thorpe429

Lolli1315

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- An amber color with ruby highlights. Tan head as a thin layer of creamy carbonation sticks around. Slight lacing and the color is clear.

S- Classic bready component found in a dopplebock. Caramel very noticeable as it lingers in the malt sweetness. There seems to be a slight weird smell. I want to say piney, but that is not exactly it.

T- A very rich malt taste that is abundant in bready character with slight amounts of nut. Seems to be a hint of roasted malt in the finish of the beer and that is where the nutty flavor seems to become most apparent as well. A caramel sweetness also compliments the malt character.

M- Medium bodied with smooth carbonation. Sweet flavor as expected.

O- A great dopplebock, and I have to admit I was not expecting it to be this enjoyable, especially after the one strange component of the smell. Glad to see a great dopplebock released by an American brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 03:41:37 | More by Lolli1315

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great Divide Wolfgang Doppelbock Lager
22 oz. / 650 ml bottle
"BOTTLED ON: JUN 25, 2012"
$8.99 @ Whole Foods Regency Circle, Omaha, NE

Great Divide's Wolfgang pours a clear deep-russet brown that appears to be a deeper mahogany in the full pint glass. The frothy khaki head has a lightly yellowish cast to it. It rises up to a rounded pillow that wants to escape the confining walls of glass, and then slowly settles into a much denser, foamy cap. As you sip it leaves almost solid walls of lacing behind. They eventually slide back down into the brown liquid, but overall the head retention and lacing are quite good.

The aroma displays a distinct caramel maltiness, and not much more. There are some hops behind it, and you could toss about descriptors such as toffee, cocoa and chocolate, but basically it's one rich aroma rather than a more complex mix of items.

The flavor is similar in that way, but certainly more complex... the label says it all: "caramel, dark fruit and toffee balanced by a subtle hop character". The caramel and toffee appear right upfront, followed by the dark fruit across the middle. It's a softer fruitiness than you might find in an Imperial stout or a dark Belgian, but it remains dark fruit. There's at least less dark fruit "skin". Beyond that you find a welcome waft of minor floral hops that helps to balance it by giving it a little something more than malt and fruit, and a truly balancing bitterness. At this point you have four different components working almost in unison, but still standing on their own: the caramel/toffee malt, the 'light' dark fruitiness, the soft floral hops, and the balancing hop bitterness. There's one more addition to that, which is a note of chocolate that appears in the dry finish. The alcohol is superbly cloaked, lending just a light bit of pepperiness.

Overall, this as a remarkably balanced example of the style. Worth seeking out for fans of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 14:14:22 | More by NeroFiddled

BlackBearForge

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wolfgang poured a deep burgundy amber with ruby highlights, very clear with a creamy off white head that while it fell quickly to a thin surface covering left nice thick swathes of lacing on the glass.

The aroma is all about freshly baked dark bread with some hints of sun ripe plums.

The flavor mirrors the aroma, sweet richly dark bready malts with a distinct woody tone and hints of sun ripened orchard fruits, and a touch of caramel. Earthy somewhat spicy hops moderate the malty sweetness and bring a welcomed modest bitterness and light drying to the finish. Alcohol is perfectly masked.

The mouthfeel is smooth. thick and somewhat chewy with just enough carbonation to lighten things a tad.

While sweet this is not an overly sweet beer, (my wife however disagrees, leaving me with the full bomber all to myself) and I find the level of hops nicely balances things out. A very agreeable beer, but I would expect that from Great Divide.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 01:16:35 | More by BlackBearForge

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is hazy amber brown in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high beige head that died down a bit but consistently left a thin head covering the surface and a coating of bubbles down the sides of the glass..
S: There are light aromas of brown bread and earthy yeast in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has some added hints of raisins and a light amount of bitterness with bits of spices in the finish. Only faint traces of alcohol are perceptible.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of dryness towards the finish.
O: This beer seems quite balanced and drinkable compared to other doppelbocks because it isn't as heavy on the palate and doesn't have any stickiness.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 03:49:58 | More by metter98

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Love the brewery and love the style, expecting big things from this bad boy.

A: 1/4" tan head over mahogany liquid.

S: Toffee, figs, pears, green grapes, chocolate.

T: Pears, walnuts, figs, toffee, green grapes and grass.

M: Thin viscosity and a medium level of fine carbonation.

O: Kudos for Great Divide for even making a doppelbock. This under-appreciated and under-represented style needs more brewers to step up to the plate and deliver. For "liquid bread" the viscosity of this doppelbock was a little thin, and the flavours were a little uncharacteristic. However, this is still a good doppelbock that is worth trying. But, so far my favourite North American take on the style is from Les Trois Mousquetaires in Quebec.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 00:43:25 | More by DaftCaskBC

Misanthropy_Sipping

Nebraska

4.08/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up in Kearney at Boogaarts market just on a whim, thought a doppelbock sounded good and hadn't had this before... may have even been the only or one of the few available.

Anyway.

Pours a nice deep reddish brown, deep rust red. Very nice. Has an off white creamy head. It's not overly carbonated but is t be expected, seems just about right. And is, I'd say they hit a perfect mark for style and carbonation. Low to medium...

Smells bready, doughy a bit, dark fruits. Kind of a plum/prune smell. A bit of a spicey booze hint to it which is nice. The smell is a bit mute and subtle.

On taste it is also pretty mellow, no one flavor is extraordinarily aggressive. Which is good, there are several things going on in this doppelbock. Some good caramel notes in the front with a dulled down sweetness. Which is good, the sweetness is one thing that it really has going. It is there but is not at all overly or under done. Its a perfect suit. The dark fruits come in, a bit of prune, dried black cherry. There is a really nice dry dark chocolate taste going on which mingles and lets out into a bitter coffee. Bitterness comes apparent to be a happiness which is very subtle and is good for this beer. It gives it a nice dryness.

It's on the medium thick body side but is still very drinkable. For 8% ABV it is incredibly drinkable. The alcohol just doesn't really seem to make an appearance. It has that German malt thing going on. You know by the taste it is a German style beer. I also detect a certain Belgian -e- ness sort of thing happening. It is not out there but I think it may have to do with the dark fruit notes. I don't know what it is. But everyone should know that certain Belgian "thing". Whatever it may be.

Kind of sticky in a way, but a nice bread dough kind of a sticky.

Overall this is a pretty damn good doppelbock. I rated it on the higher side because I have been trying to pay special attention to style. For the style this was probably one of the best done doppelbocks I have ever had or have had for quite some time. I have to say that it rubs elbows with a personal favorite... Korbinian from Weihenstephan.

I'll likely purchase another bottle of this when I get a hankering for a doppelbock again... or just need a good, easy drinking beer with a bit more malt and a bit more character to it.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 04:05:42 | More by Misanthropy_Sipping

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.53/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep dark reddish brown color with a smallish off white head that dissipates quickly to a smattering of bubbles on top. The aroma is sweet with burnt sugars and light sweet dark fruits along with a bit of toffee that seems a bit out of place. Faint floral hop aroma provides little balance to the malty sweetness. The flavor is sweet with lots of caramel and brown sugar flavors and a bit of burnt sugar sweetness. Light prune flavor along with a weak coffee type melanoid thing going on. Medium body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet crisp mouthfeel. I find that so many American breweries try to replicate the dopplebock style and can't seem to pull it off. This is a fine beer, but compared to some of the hallmarks of the style it just doesn't compare. The smooth melanoid and rich dark dried fruits are lacking in this example.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 05:25:39 | More by johnnnniee

Mora2000

Texas

3.58/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark brown color with an off-white head. The aroma has some roasted malt with a hint of chocolate mixed in. The flavor is very similar. There is some roasted malt and a very light hint of smoke. I also get some chocolate and some dark fruit. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 01:58:18 | More by Mora2000