Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock - Bell's Brewery, Inc.

BB1313

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Batch #10864; bottled on 2/9/12. Pours a beautiful shiny red with a touch of brown, not much head, lacing, or retention but wonderful color. Lots of vibrant dark fruits mixed with a touch of cocoa and vanilla. There's a subtle hop bite but outdone by the malts. There's a nice amount of caramel as well. Alcohol goes and unnoticed and it's not a boozy mess. Very nice carbonation, spritzy and creamy. This one finishes pretty clean, but slightly syrupy slick. Easy to drink and isn't one dimensional.

Nice doppelbock from Bell's.. recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2012 01:49:13 | More by BB1313

jtingue

New York

4.08/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle dated 02/09/2012. Poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance. Quite clear, and very red in color. Pours with a finger of very light head, which fades to nothing immediately. No lacing, Some alcohol feet.

Smell. Some sweet berry aromas, and that crisp lager yeast smell.

Taste. Starts out with a nice clean, fruity sweetness, with berries and some dark fruits. A bit of bitterness builds, but is quite low. Large malty sweetness comes next with some molasses and some really nice fruity overtones. The finish is slightly bitter, sweet, and has a lingering floral and fruity presence.

Mouthfeel. Moderate to thick in body, with a moderate amount of carbonation.

This is a tale of two beers, for me. The smell is underwhelming, and sets up low expectations for the taste, but those are quickly broken. The finish is simply the best part, with an amazing sweet yet light floral lingering presence. This actually makes it a nice sipper.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 21:06:33 | More by jtingue

stewart124

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Notes from 03/2011

Poured into a bell's tulip. Dark copper in color with some lace and brown head.

Ripe grape notes and plenty of melanoidins in the nose.

Medium to full bodied with plenty of carbonation and smooth character overall. Very easy to drink. Loads of grape and dark bread from a rich malty grain bill. Some caramel and brown sugar sweetness that finishes very dry.

This was quite the treat but easily snuck up on me. It drinks like 8% but it was so delicious that I had to have more.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2012 19:29:52 | More by stewart124

HuskyinPDX

Washington

3.63/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Pint glass. Batch 10150.

A - Pours a very dark orange, almost brown with a thin light tan-fizzy head that fades rapidly.

S - Not much here. Sweet toffee, carmel, and malts, but pretty mild.

T - Similar to the smell, but more carmel.

D - Lower carbonation, good body, sweet.

O - Sweet and good for a cold night.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 03:11:21 | More by HuskyinPDX

cooler4life

Quebec (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark flat orangey brown with little to no head. Carbonation appears moderate with a good amount of lacing.

S: Traditional doppelbock. Light fruitiness, caramel, light toffee. Smells a tad sweeter than the other doppelbocks I've had.

T: Sweetness first with some raisins and plums. Next is some malty light chocolate tones. A nice hop bite at the end. I don't pick up on the ABV at all.

M: Coats the mouth with a thin layer of syrupy sweetness. However, it is a little too slick for my liking and leaves me feeling empty.

O: A typical example of this style, by no means defines it.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2011 21:39:15 | More by cooler4life

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

2.8/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into my newly aquired (but washed) Darryl's Wood Fired Grill pint glass and the brew is a semi hazey orangeish brown brew with 1/2" of tan head that dissappears quickly leaving little on the surface and no noticable lacing.

The aroma is dark malts, some wheat, and sugar. The flavor follows the nose with a touch of alcohol, but to me the sweetness is way to forward and kills the actual malts from coming forward. Mouth feel is medium heavy, again from the sweetness. Medium low carbination.

TO ME, this was not an enjoyable Dopplebock and it is probably my least favorite Bell's offering that I have tryed to this point.

A C brew.

At $14.99 a 6 pack (with 5 more yet to consume) this has got to be the shittiest value in my 5+ months of trying real beer. (Didn't really piss me off till I looked at my receipt just now and saw what I paid for this crap).

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2011 19:58:07 | More by RedneckBeerz

afdempse

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dark orangish-brown beer. Tan head that fades into a thin wisp across the beer's surface. Head retention could be improved it seems. Minimal lacing down the sides of the glass.

Aroma of caramel, malt, and slight alcohol.

Clean caramel maltiness and brown sugar notes. Bitterness is restrained and provides decent balance. A hint of booze in the breath. Alcohol just present enough to notice and enhance.

Mouthfeel is creamy and malty, with a decent amount of body but a bit less chewiness than I'd like in a doppelbock. Carbonation level is medium-low.

Overall, a clean and drinkable doppelbock. Not quite as impressively malty as some examples, but solid in its own right.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 01:54:28 | More by afdempse

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is dark orange, hinting on chestnut brown, with a half inch of light tan head that leaves sparse lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of malt, alcohol, light spice. Toffee, caramel, malt comprise the flavor. The flavor offers more depth and complexity than was indicated in the aroma. Slightly sweet. A malt forward beer, as is expected in a dopplebock. Alcohol presence is there, but unobtrusive. Medium to light in body, with moderately low carbonation. Overall, a solid American version of a doppelbock.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 02:00:23 | More by Huhzubendah

jlindros

Massachusetts

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

Picked this up while visiting dfclav in PA.

Pours a nice creamy 1 finger head that fades at a med pace with decent lacing over semi hazy auburn rosy brown color.

Nose brings a nice doppelbock with plenty of dark malts and wheats, caramel toffee, brown sugar, hint of cocoa, molasses, boozy raisins and dark fruits, bit nutty, touch of earthy ester, creamy sweet malts.

Taste is more of the same, creamy porter malts, dark wheat, bit of cocoa, dark malts, caramel, lots of toffee, molasses, chewy malts, slight earthy fruity esters with more raisins and dark fruit, fig and plum even, cinnamon and nutty flavors, decent sweetness forming with soft aged malts and bit of booze. finishes with some bitterness earthy slight roasty taste, nutty malts, caramel, toffee, molasses all linger drier but a bit sticky.

Mouth is med to a bit heavier bodied, decent carb, hint of warming booze.

Overall nice, great malt and sweetening agent flavors (i.e. Molasses, toffee, etc), great fruits and complex flavors, hint of warming booze, well balanced and drinkable. I would def have this again.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 01:07:09 | More by jlindros

Alieniloquium

Florida

2.8/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle poured into my Alchemist pint glass. I don't use this as much as I should.

Appearance - Murky red body with no head, no lacing, and no surface bubbles at all. As it warms, the beer clears, but it still looks pretty bad.

Smell - Caramel and lots of it. Some booze. One-note smell, but it's a doppelbock, so I don't expect a whole lot more out of it.

Taste - Ugh, it's not very good. Very sweet from an intense dose of caramel. It doesn't change much until the finish, which has a hefty hop presence, surprisingly. The hops aren't bad, but the finish is really odd. It gets kinda vinous and... just strange. Dry? I don't know, but it's not good.

Mouthfeel - Not super thick, but heavy. Low carbonation doesn't help it out. I know it's a doppelbock and not supposed to be light and effervescent, but this is a bit too much. That finish is just woeful, too.

Overall - Not good and nearing bad. I finished it, but mostly so I could accumulate adjectives for this review. Probably the worst beer from Bell's I've had.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 01:57:14 | More by Alieniloquium

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle. Older bottle, backs 10105.

It pours a clear red with a foamy tan head.

It smells like cherry drink mixed with malt syrup, interesting combo. It is kind of intoxicating though in all its oddness. Def not traditional here.

The flavor is okay. Definitely reminds me of Bell's lager with a shot of caramel sauce and a hint of fruitiness. The hops provide a nice spiciness but I think the beer isn't well-rounded enough. Like it was too sweet of a recipe and they just threw an extra touch of hops in there to try to level it, it doesn't have the smoothness from front to back that a truly greatly crafted doppelbock has.

An odd doppelbock, but it has a nice smell and tastes okay.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 04:35:05 | More by crossovert

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap at khyber in philly

Pours a clear ruby caramel color, thin beige head dissolves completely, leaving no lacing behind on the glass.

Touches of fruit in the nose with grape and plum, malty sweetness with bread and caramel, faint metallic note. Soft warmth as well.

A little sweet up front with dark fruit. Ripe grapes with plum and raisin, light candied touch. Thick malt backbone, a little sweet and bready with a dash of cherry. Light syrup and warmth in the finish.

Fuller medium body, higher carbonation, sticky and prickly on the tongue. A decent doppelbock, I enjoyed the fruit tones, and the alcohol was under control.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 15:54:32 | More by xnicknj

tobelerone

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Almost apricot-hued; vigorous pour results in a very small head that dissipates into a thin ring quickly. Semi-opaque with a steady stream of tiny bubbles rising to the top. Aroma is richly malty and alcoholic with sweetness abounding.

The taste of this beer is sweet and boozy. Dark malt flavor with notes of plums and caramel. Good carbonation lightens the mouthfeel, which is otherwise pretty creamy. Fairly powerful in both flavor and alcohol content, hops are not noticed. Booze doesn't hide here. As the beer warms it becomes winey and tannic...there's a drying finish with a bit of fumy aftertaste.

I really liked this beer and while it might not be in the very top tier for the style I found it adhered to it very well. Big, sweet, boozy, tasty.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 14:05:06 | More by tobelerone

kylehay2004

Florida

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

A: Brown with amber hues. single finger head.

S: Fig, chocolate and some apricot.

T: More of the same in the taste with more chocolate and some caramel malt.

M: medium to thick body. Moderate carbonation.

Overall: My first doppelboch so its new to me. I like this one. Unique and easier to drink than I expected.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 00:53:09 | More by kylehay2004

JayS2629

Alabama

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It pours a clear, deep copper color with a medium off white head that sticks around and leaves nice lacing.

The aroma is of honey, caramel, french toast, and malty richness. Low earthy hops.

The flavor is full, rich honey, toffee, caramels, and mead like qualities. Overly malty, with minimal earthy hops and hints of floral notes.

Clean, crisp, thick and rich.

A little cloying, but great for the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 01:57:01 | More by JayS2629

adam42381

Florida

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes taken on 8/27/11. On tap at World of Beer Fort Myers. Poured into a shaker pint.

Pours a dark amber color with a 1 finger greyish/off-white head. Decent lacing.

Smell: Caramel, dark fruits and figs. Fairly weak aroma.

Taste: Dark fruit up front followed by caramel in the middle before ending with boozy alcohol at the finish. Aftertaste is fairly sweet.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a light amount of carbonation.

Drinkability: Pretty good drinkability. I had no problem downing the pint, but I don't think I'd want to drink multiples in one sitting.

Overall: Pretty good beer overall. Not the strongest offering by Bell's by any stretch, but it's worth giving a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2011 15:51:07 | More by adam42381

iDrinknewglarus

Wisconsin

2.65/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Beautiful translucent red-brown. Small, slightly tanned head that resides very quickly. No lacing at all.

S: Sweet, malts. Caramel, I can smell the lager yeast. Crisp. Earthy.

T: Really sweet and fruity, but artificial sweetener taste, like aspartame. I get a touch of raisin. Definitely rough around the edges. Noticeable alcohol. Harsh, sickly sweet, fortified wine-like finish, yuck.

M: Thin. Medium-high carbonation.

Sorry Bells, but you let me down on this one. This is my first doppelbock, and I think I just don't like this style of beer. I was never a fan of lagers, especially higher alcohol lagers, so take my review with a grain of salt. Tastes a bit like Baltika 9 cut with Steel Reserve, bleh!

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 02:53:14 | More by iDrinknewglarus

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.98/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from raznug, courtesy of the Under 100 III BIF so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a medium brown color, with a thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains dark fruit, caramelized malts, honey and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, dark fruit and honey. Then some breadiness comes in from lager yeast and a hearty malt character. The hops presence is mild and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer worth drinking for a while if you’re in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2011 04:13:49 | More by TheManiacalOne

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a wine glass at Wine Styles

It's a deep red that's a touch cloudy and a wimpy tan head. The aroma is striking, with an abundant amount of plumb and some toffee. The taste is subdued, but only slightly, with a bit more of the malt coming out to make it more balanced. It's smoothness is almost at the top of the scale but it does have a mild dryness I don't see much in this style. Overall, a great beer I'd have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 14:12:59 | More by DesMoinesMike

claspada

New Jersey

2.93/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Aromas begin with earthy and grainy notes mixed with light caramelized sugar and toffee and slightly dark fruity maltiness.

The taste followed suit nicely, with the dominant flavor of caramel really taking hold. Some nice bready malts being located under that as well. Nice smooth finish with the long lingering flavor of nutty caramel on the tongue for a few minutes afterward. A nice dark fruit/raisin flavor emerges if you really dig in here.

The mouthfeel was a nice medium-bodied ale with a good amount of carbonation and a smooth creamy feel. The problem for me is that it is TOO drinkable for an 8.0% beer, why do all lagers taste diluted and boring. Way too refreshing, crisp and drinkable.

Overall this is a good beer but not a great Doppelbock by any means. Isn't even worthy of drinking the bathwater of great examples of this style from Salvator, Weihenstephaner and especially Ayinger. Also falls way way short of the best American example from Thomas Hooker. This is a pass for me as far as a recommendation goes.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2011 00:08:34 | More by claspada

TheSupremeAJ

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Attractive translucent leather color with thick creamy head. Smell is of rich malts and litte/no hoppiness, spot on for the style. The taste was sweet and rich, cloyingly... like sitting in the room with someone who wears way to much cologne. Mouthfeel is way to sticky for me and not refreshing.

I'm unsure whether or not this is really spot on for style, but per my personal enjoyment it was not satisfactory. I am not a doppelbock connoisseur so I will rate as close to style as I know.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 03:29:02 | More by TheSupremeAJ

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This Doppelbock was on tap at the Tap & Table one night when I stopped in. I had always wanted to try this beer from Bells but hadn't seen it around. I ordered a glass and as it was brought to me I couldn't help but notices it's really nice looking brown color. The head was nice and left a pretty good lacing down the glass. The smell of malts were on the nose along with some sweet aromas too. The taste is a little sweet kind of like caramel or brown sugar mixed with a roasted bitterness and some dark fruits also. The mouthfeel had a decent thickness to it. Overall I thought this beer was pretty good and would drink it again one day.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 20:56:31 | More by Knapp85

ehammond1

California

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle

Acquired via trade
Thanks sendsilk!

Clear and dark brown with ruby red edges. Thin white cap and decent, regular lacing down the glass.

Relatively sweet (think: caramel) and bready aroma with a touch of sweet fruit aroma near the end.

Though the flavor follows the nose incredibly closely, it seems more complex--there's a lot of layers of different sweets and malts. There is some caramel, a touch of earthy wood, some sweet vinous flavor, along with something I want to call raisin or date bread. Very interesting, complex, and comes together remarkably well.

Medium mouthfeel. Ample carbonation.

A wonderful surprise. After being disappointed in Batch 10,000, I really didn't know what to expect with this one, and I came away happily and pleasantly surprised. A sweet yet complex, and certainly delicious, doppelbock. Would love to try this one again!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 20:22:42 | More by ehammond1

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

My cellar continues to amaze with its contents. This one was part of Batch 6148, so I am curious to see how it held up. I will probably be all Bocked up by the end of the day.

From the bottle: "A traditional doppelbock fermented with an old world lager yeast. Reddish brown in color, with a mild hop profile, Consecrator is a well balanced, full bodied beer with a smooth, malty finish."

I utilized a slow gentle pour so as not to disturb any lees that may be lying on the bottom of the bottle. As a result, I only got some wisps in terms of head. Color was a deep dark-brown with ruby highlights and NE-quality clarity. Nose was rich with a caramel malt sweetness. Wow! This might end up being breakfast and lunch today, followed by a nap. Mouthfeel was on the thin side, but the flavor was rich caramel on the tongue. Man, this could be a dessert beer, easily. Finish was rock-a-bye-baby smooth, lulling me that much closer to a nap. It was sweet, but not cloyingly so and the alcohol was not in evidence. Proceed cautiously!

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2011 13:12:28 | More by woodychandler

oline73

Maryland

3.23/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a sam adams perfect pint.

Appearance: Pours a clear dark amber with very little off white head that disappears completely.

Smell: Sweet malt with fruity notes. Hints of dark fruit and perhaps some grape.

Taste: Some bread like malt. Again, there is a grape note. Not very sweet, some alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with carbonation slightly on the high side. A dry finish.

Overall: Does a fairly nice job hiding the alcohol. I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't too sweet, but I didn't find this beer particularly interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 21:34:48 | More by oline73