Uerige Doppelsticke - Uerige Obergärige Hausbrauerei GmbH / Zum Uerige

IrishRedRock

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

The pop of the swingtop reveals the aromas of this crimson amber beauty even before I pour it. I can tell just from the insanely complex aroma that this is going to be quite interesting. The nose is malty and sweet, and there's so much to pick up here. Belgian candy sugar, almonds, licorice, citric tangerine notes and buttery toffee. Wow.

The taste follows suit in complexity, and is one of those rare beers that has the unique characteristic of having an entirely different taste from the beginning of a sip to the end. Starts a tad sweet, with nutty hazlenut flavors and spices that get you thinking of warming holiday brews. A mild yet crisp hop bitterness leads you towards the end, where you'll find yourself hit with a bit of carbonation and a massive wallop of malty goodness. Cripes! I didn't expect this to be this good. And the mouthfeel...so smooth and velvety. Perfection on that. Slightly warming from the alcohol, but it's hidden well. Definitely somewhat of a cross between a big, malty German Alt and an American Barleywine. Im'a go buy a few more bottles of this goodness, thank'ya very much.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2005 02:42:08 | More by IrishRedRock

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a small strange)

A- This beer pours a warm leather brown clear body with a creamy light tan head. Gentle carbonation rises to the top of the glass.

S- The smell of caramel malt and toasted malt with the hint of dark dried fruit.

T- This beer has a warm brown malty taste. Notes of faint chocolate and caramel with a slight sweetness. A gentle hop bitterness finishes this taste.

M- medium mouthfeel with a faint alcohol warmth in the finish. No astringency.

D- This is a good solid altbier. It has the great malty flavors and a nice hop bitterness with the alcohol warmth to balance. Very nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2005 01:06:15 | More by rhoadsrage

whartontallboy

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Extremely cool Uerige bottle.

Pours a deep coppery caramel into a stange. Topped with a nice-sized head of sticky white froth. Quite attractive.

Smell is a heady mix of very thick, candied-fruit malts and a nice punch of strong, bitter hops. Caramel and tropical fruits come through nicely.

The flavor is huge without being too much. It's definitely thick with a candy-ish malt, but not cloyingly so, and there's a distinct fruitiness that reminds me almost of a peach flavor that pulls through. The hops, however, remain present at all times, lending a nice sharp bitterness to the taste.

The mouthfeel is nicely carbonated and creamy, it really feels great in there. Drinkability is fantastic for a brew of its ABV (8.5%).

Overall: Really glad I picked this one up at New Beer Distributors in NYC. As other reviewers have noted, it is slightly reminiscent of a barleywine masquerading as an alt, but with a much lighter, less severe flavor and texture. Moreover, the typical alt characteristics hold it together quite nicely. Try this one if you can.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2005 03:05:01 | More by whartontallboy

putnam

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I'll treat this as a *dubbelbockalt* -- it has the sweet brown pecan pie spice aromas reminiscent of Celebrator ot Traquair House Ale. Creamy textured and loaded with sweet malt flavor, the alcohol pulls away from the roasted bitterness leaving a cough-syrup effect that could become a chore to drink. Sticky, tarry bitterness on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2005 21:52:23 | More by putnam

HappyHourHero

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Huge, creamy, light brown colored head faded slowly leaving scattered strings of lace. Dark copper, almost mahogany colored beer has a transparent candy hue to it. Sweet caramel malt, candied flowers, and a whif of pineapple in the aroma. Strong sweet malt up front feels fairly thick. Plums and vinuous notes in the middle mix with caramel and alcohol. A mild bitterness joins the party at the end supressing the sweetness in the finish. Mouthfeel is soft and full, but not to the point of thick. My first "Imperial Altbier", there are plenty of interesting flavors and aromas, but I'm a bit put off by the strangely sweet caramel flavor that reminds of Samichlaus.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2005 01:23:12 | More by HappyHourHero

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

The beer poured into the glass crystal clear just beyond amber with a low off-white and persistent head which laced the glass.

The aroma was floral and fruity with a strong flowery presence coupled with a slight alcohol phenolic spice and some nice caramel maltiness.

The flavor was malty with quite a charge of caramel and a marriage of assertive bittering to keep that malt in check. The hops were slightly earthy and definitely spicy with a slight bite. The hops came mainly in bittering, but some flavor shined through. Also present was a nice fruity character with restrained raisin charater overshadowed by the hops.

The finish was dry, darn near bone dry with lasting bittering on the palate and a spicy hop flavor that lasted into the aftertaste. The body was medium full and well done. It's an alt on steriods and a well crafted one at that!

11.2 ounce flip top bottle, thanks MABZ! Bottled on 04.18

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2005 00:06:44 | More by GCBrewingCo

ypsifly

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2oz flip top shaped like an old german stick grenade, into a stange. There's a bottled on date on the neck label, but it is unreadable.

Dark, clear copper with some floaters. One finger+ head of off white falls to 1cm and stays. Not much lace.

Yeast, caramelesque malts, peppery alcohol and floral hops make up the nose. There's also some suggestion of floral hops. Smells vaguely belgian...almost.

Lots of malt followed by piney hops when tasted. Slightly more hop than malt. Some alcohol pops up in the bitter finish.

The mouth is near full, too strong to session but its still a nice brew. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2005 02:12:35 | More by ypsifly

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark copper color with a light finger of head that falls to a very light coat over the brew. The nose is intense. I get notes of intense almond, roasted nut, light bread and very light raisin. The flavor is less intense than the nose. More hop comes through in the flavor. Its not bitter, but flavorful and light on the finish. There is a healthy toasted nut flavor, but its not as intense as the nose at all. The feel is thick, with a light carbonation. The alcohol plays no part in the nose or the flavor. Not a bad brew at all. I have another bottle that will get consumed pretty soon. An okay brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2005 02:51:25 | More by kmpitz2

clvand0

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a brown color with a small head that has poor rentention and leaves little lacing on the glass. The aroma has a lot of caramel sweetness. The flavor is much less interesting than the aroma, but that's not saying much. I really don't enjoy the flavor very much. Lots of caramel. Body is moderate, the drinkability is ok.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2005 02:47:34 | More by clvand0

santoslhalper

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearence: Pours a clear, dark copper with a wonderfully creamy beige head that has amazing retention, and leaves gorgeous lacing. Hardly any carbonation.

Smell: The smell is a duller version of the Uerige Alt Classic. It has the spiciness and sweet maltiness, but not as strong or complex.

Taste and Mouthfeel: Incredibly creamy and smooth, no flavors overpowering the other. Balanced and full of flavor, but not as complex as I had hoped. A little more complexity would boost this to killer tasting. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy.

Drinkability and Overall: A unique Altbier for sure, it's lacking something special to really throw it over the edge. You'd think the 8.5% would give it a nice kick, but it didn't. I still thoroughly enjoyed every last sip of it, and reccommend it to anyone, unless they can find the Uerige Altbier Classic.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2005 20:21:38 | More by santoslhalper

OldSock

District of Columbia

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Presentation and Appearance – 11.2 oz long neck flip top bottle that I bought on a whim having enjoyed the regular Uerige Sticke. Bottled on 4/18. The beer is a dark amber red, pretty clear with a thin off white head and dots of lacing.

Smell – Malt and alcohol are the main aromas. There are also hints of yeast and dark fruit.

Taste – Deep full SWEET malt flavor up front with a slight dry bitterness in the back. The hop bitterness is certainly there, but there is little to no hop flavor. The flavor is rounded out by dark fruit, mainly plums and raisons.

Mouthfeel – Thinner than would be expected from a beer this big. Carbonation is on the strong side.

Drinkability and Notes – The thin body makes Doppelsticke exceptionally drinkable for such a big beer. This is simply the most flavorful alt beer that I have had. It is a far better beer than the regular Sticke from Uerige and far superior to every other alt beer I have had. Well worth searching out if you have been indifferent to other alt beers that you have had.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 22:28:24 | More by OldSock

sacfly

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottled on 04.1. Code 11 01 11.2 oz. flip top.

Pours a beautiful dark red/brown. Medium to light carbonation. Small, tight bubbles. Smell is sweet and clean. Candied plums come to mind. Rich, syrup like mouth feel. Caramel candied plums. Definite doppel on steroids taste. Wow. Great taste and texture, but much too rich to drink more than one or two. Would drink every night after dinner however. Would make a great after dinner desert drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 15:47:41 | More by sacfly

TinusTime

Virginia

4.47/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep chestnut brown with lighter highlights around the edge. Large off white head lingers and teasingly makes me wait to take my first sip. Nose is huge of molasses, caramel, sweet bread. Almost worried this is going to be too sweet.

Taste is interesting. Sweet up front like a dopplebock, but then enough hoppiness to keep it from becoming too sweet. You can pick out the Uerige Sticke character out of the back ground, but it does not scream at you. The sweetness is a bit more than I thought it would be, but it was still well balanced.

Mouthfeel is silky smooth going down. Very easy to drink even at 8 percent. Drinkability Hell Yeah!! I would love to have another one of these.

Big Ups to BiermanVA for bringing me back a bottle from Boston when he attended the American Beer Fest. Even bigger props to him for managing not to drink it before it got to me.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2005 16:28:14 | More by TinusTime

kegerator

Maryland

4.72/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

very very nice indeed. much better the the sticke.
pours a deep brown with copper tones. A nice 2 inche head develops thats frothy with some slight fizz, it sticks around and leaves great lacing.
aroma of chocolate, brown sugars, and caramel with very slight hints of hop aromas in the background.
taste is carmel like with a fruitiness I can't quite place. Its sweet but not overly at all. Its sticky in the mouth and has a slight carbonation to it that makes it dance in the mouth. A very fine brew indeed

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2005 12:18:12 | More by kegerator

Truh

New Hampshire

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Heard stories about the dark forest with this one on 6/14/2005. 11.2-fl. oz. swing top with thin neck bottle poured in a shaker glass.

Huge froth at start, almost jumping in its intensity, must have been close to 1 ½ inches and both tight and flocculent at the same time with tons of stick. Kind of a light haze floating around aimlessly within a mahogany brown hue, and no discernible action present. Malty creakiness and tootsie rolls on nose, along with a whitewash of vanilla bean and malted chocolate. Caramel and sticky gummy bears of the root beer variety on the mouth, along with some clingy malt and wet macadam, but of the variety that evokes childhood memories playing tag in the summer and the sun never going down.

Stellar, just stellar.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2005 00:25:09 | More by Truh

Wildman

Ohio

4.45/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This one apparently had been flying off the shelves, which is why I had previously missed it. The beer poured a dark copper color and formed a nice foamy off white head that left trace lace as it slowly subsided. A small amount of carbonation is present. An aroma of caramel, candy, some plume and some altbier elements. The flavor was of caramel, candy and some malt. The body was creamy and the finish is sweet with a touch of astigency. Another amazing beer from them. Now if I could just find some more of it.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2005 02:49:07 | More by Wildman

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Beautiful bottle with a freshness date - 2 months old at tasting. Rich, malty, fruity, hoppy, and bitter... this is an enticing ale!

It pours a clear auburn-chestnut body beneath a frothy head of off-white foam that holds exceptionally well and leaves walls of solid lace about the glass.

The nose is fruity and hoppy over a caramelish malt.

It's medium-full bodied and creamy in the mouth with a delicate, moderate carbonation.

The flavor starts with a splash of yeasty fruitiness (dark fruit skins, apples) that's quickly overshadowed by its deep, sweetish and bready notes of caramel malt. A bold bitterness cuts through the middle, bringing with it some grassy and leafy hops. It finishes long and bitter with a lingering sticky malt that's soaked in leafy and earthy hops.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 14:15:00 | More by NeroFiddled

Gusler

Arizona

4.63/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Draught @ Papago
This was a special 2-keg extravaganza at Papago, and what a sight and treat it was, but you can read the story on the Papago website. The beer fresh from the tap is a dark beauty with a modest creamy light tan head that lingers long, leaving a fine coating of lace upon the glass. Nose is rich in bread dough, sweet and mouth watering this nose, hints of caramel and even a whiff of hops, apples and a bit of alcohol finish it off, start is sweet and thick with malt, the top is middling in its feel. Finish is delectable with its spicy hop bite, the acidity light and the sweet malt dry aftertaste lingers long on the palate, what a treat it was, had several glasses. Personally, I think it could be called a “Barley Wine”, and I must say it is the best beer I have tasted in quite some time.

Serving type: on-tap

07-01-2005 17:00:50 | More by Gusler

Beervis

Ontario (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I love the Uerige swingtops, they are as attractive as the brew within!

Pours a dark brown with some red highlights and a nice thick head.

Smell is malty, floral, with honey-caramel tones.

Taste is bitter up front, followed by a very creamy and bready malt taste that coats the mouth. Finishes with more bitterness followed by sweet lingering malt. What an amazing body, with very little evidence of the high alcohol.

Very drinkable, very very tasty indeed.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2005 15:06:21 | More by Beervis

ChrisBowers

Virginia

4/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours from the swingtop bottle dark reddish brown, creamy 1/3 inch head. Smell is sweet, very malty. Taste... not quite what I was expecting. Lots of malt sweetness, bready, mollasses, a little bit of fruit and some hops in the finish. Mouthfeel is bready, doughy. Very sweet in the finish. Very very drinkable for an 8.5 percent beer. Very smooth drinking beer. I have however had a lot of beers that were better for $5 a bottle at the store, but this may be more personal preference than anything. I'm still very happy I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2005 00:42:56 | More by ChrisBowers

BierManVA

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours like a dark amber maple syrup from Vermont. Smooth yet viscous. The aroma is a killer and as soon as I popped the swing top, I was hit with a wall of caramel malt with a nice hop backing. Quite nice.

This is certainly a large bier and one that will do well in the US market for which it was made. It is much sweeter and hopier than the normal Uerige. Balance-wise, a little too sweet if I must say. Approaching a Dopplebock in style, like a Salvator.

This has great potential and even though I am enjoying this very much, I would assume that some tinkering will be done in susequent years to balance this a little better.

Still an amazing bier.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2005 20:08:05 | More by BierManVA

yen157

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Creamy tan head on a russet body and fine carbonation. Sweetish nutty nose with beautiful hop notes. Moderate sweetness, flavors of nuts, dried dates, and light raisin toast. Bitterness is firm, but not overwhelming. Slick and quaffable it’s hard to believe this is 8.5%.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2005 01:40:07 | More by yen157

MABZ

Nebraska

4.6/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I first picked up this beer from the recommendation of a co-worker at John's Grocery. What a great selection. I loved this brew through and through, and I've tried it several times since my initial review, which has been edited to reflect current thoughts on this wonderful beer.

The appearance is very interesting. It pours to a clear ruby color with a thick, creamy collar of white foam. Excellent lacing. No carbonation apparent, though I am sure of this batch's freshness as compared to other times I've tried it [and still loved it].

The aroma contains a delightful estery assortment of berries, but the hops steal the show with this beer. Not only is a German ale an oddity, but this almost seems like a German IPA! Very grassy and herbal hops with a very interesting malt aroma. Smells a bit like sourdough with a ton of hops and a hint of alcohol.

The taste is sweet, bready, and berry-licious with a very pleasant hops flavor. Maybe just a little bit grassy, but it goes very well with the overall presentation.

Mouthfeel is medium to full and a bit creamy. Very nice lingering grassy, herbal hops flavor. Well concealed alcohol flavor, but you can tell it's there if you search. The unsuspecting drinker might have an early night ahead of them, however.

Considering the high alcohol content and the almost rough grassy hoppiness, this is quite the drinkable beer. One of my favorite German beers, if not THE favorite (with only the regular Uerige Sticke and possibly Aventinus in direct competition). I'm glad I decided to re-review this beer, because even though I loved it in the past, my palate was not quite developed enough to decipher what I was tasting. It's been too long... from this day on I will make it my duty to go through as much altbier as possible, before it goes bad on the store shelves.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2005 03:44:49 | More by MABZ

UncleJimbo

Massachusetts

4.4/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Trademark Uerige 11.2 oz brown bottle with "ceramic style" flip top. Bottled-on date stamped on front label (month and day - 04.18).

This beer poured a clear, bright, deep reddish amber (coppery) color with creamy yellowish tan foam that persisted and clung to the walls of the glass as it settled to a fine coat on the surface of the beer. There was a steady, fine stream of bubbles from the bottom of the glass. The smell was malty and sharply hoppy with a light touch of faintly sweet caramel malt. The taste was richly malty with malt and hop flavors very reminiscent of the other Uerige altbiers. The rich malt gave way to a very hoppy finish, which was even hoppier in than the Sticke Alt. The mouthfeel was smooth and malty with a tiny sweetness on the back of the tongue, but dry overall. The body was full with good carbonation, and a slight warming character. The finish and aftertaste were very nicely hoppy. This was a beautiful beer, and I definitely want more. I would love to try it fresh at the brewery, but alas, it seems this one is made only for export to the USA (?).

(Thanks to Longstaff for the heads up on this one.)

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2005 05:07:30 | More by UncleJimbo