Bourbon Barrel Doppelbock - Hinterland Brewery Restaurant

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pint bottle poured into a Brewers pint glass

Appearance- Copper color with a small amount of white head that dissipates quickly into a small film above the beer.

Smell- I get a sweet cherry smell with a small amount of a charing smell and a slight hint of bourbon.

Taste- Similar to the nose minus the cherry. Very nice toasty/roasty flavor with a bourbon finish. They do a very good job of making the Doppelbock the star of the show, with a small but great supporting role played by the bourbon.

Mouthfeel- Medium body with light carbonation, very easy on the palate.

Overall- They did a nice job here incorporating classic doppelbock flavors with the bourbon barrel twist. If this was not barrel aged it would be a run of the mill doppelbock, but the bourbon barrel aging does just enough to make this a good complex beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 13:06:22 | More by BrownAleMale

AmandaSchaefer

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +7%

05-18-2013 12:57:21 | More by AmandaSchaefer

Rand_ale_Thor

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

05-16-2013 19:35:07 | More by Rand_ale_Thor

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.11/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First of all, trying to get into this bottle was like trying to get into Fort Knox. The wax was like a some cross-linked UV cured urethane. Damn near had to make a trip to the ER after nearly slicing my finger off with the sharp object I was using to chisel my way in. Then after finally popping it, I got crumbs all over that I needed to be careful not to get in the beer. Some probably did. Hopefully no glass shards did. I may be making that trip to the ER after all if they did :<(

Tarnished brown body with a slight beige cap. Lacing comes in the form of rings....moderately spaced. The aroma is strong...I'll give it that. Heavy on the bourbon, which I like, and a slickly sweet aroma as well. Flavor is pretty solid overall. Sweet without teetering over that edge of cloying. Bourbon is noticeable. Fairly malty. Not a lot of depth, but it's pretty good with it's two edged sword of malt sweetness and bourbon. Lightly carbonated and medium bodied. Could use a little heft. Solid beer overall.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 03:53:03 | More by Bighuge

DersOne

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

05-02-2013 19:44:05 | More by DersOne

koes0024

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

04-20-2013 19:41:09 | More by koes0024

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev +7%

03-28-2013 02:29:47 | More by t0rin0

thebigredone

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

02-23-2013 01:11:30 | More by thebigredone

jnikkel

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

02-17-2013 02:57:10 | More by jnikkel

maximum12

Minnesota

3.2/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

First, to Hinterland: take a fucking road trip to New Glarus & get a lesson on how to wax a bottle. I needed seven minutes & three tools to get the stupid thing open. That alone will keep me from buying this, or another waxed Hinterland beer, again, because I'm fucking annoyed before I even peep the beer. Oh, hey, I see other people had this problem, too. 16.9 ounces of well-shaken beer.

Pour is a dull brown with staid red highlights, like a Willmar girl who hasn't been to the salon in too long. Carbonation is quick & done, despite the vigorous handling. Nice dopple nose with caramel, toffee, sweets, & a quick flash of vanilla. Pretty nice.

Bourbon Barrel Dopplebock is as thin as a starving mannequin. Mouthfeel is skeletal, watery & aimless. The base beer is a letdown from the smell: toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, but all washed out & lifeless because of the lack of a backbone. On the plus side, the lack of thrust makes it very easy to drink...perhaps my first session barrel-aged doppelbock.

A big step down from the nose to the mouth, & the base beer appears to be outclassed & pummeled into irrelevance by the barrel: it needs to hit the gym. Overall, just another mediocre beer. But that fucking wax...

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2013 03:38:09 | More by maximum12

GeePee

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

02-06-2013 13:36:57 | More by GeePee

dragomni

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

01-27-2013 23:52:03 | More by dragomni

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.59/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Lol at taking a long time just to open this beer. Why don't they just put a padlock on this thing?!

Mahogony brown colored. Somewhat fizzy khaki head.

The taste is kind of meh. It lacks the depth of a doppelbock that I was expecting. The bourbon flavors give it a nice boost, but it is still lacking a lot. Very woody and bready. Lots of malts.

The body is fairly thin, but I like how smooth it is. It has a great feel to it.

Overall, I will enjoy this one bottle and that will probably be it. If it had more dopplebock flavors (dark fruits, molasses, etc) this beer would be great. However, most of the bock flavors are muted.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:48:03 | More by mothman

imperialking

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

01-17-2013 21:55:31 | More by imperialking

Boto

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16oz. bottle: This one was tough to get into. The plastic (seemed harder than wax) seal needed some serious chipping to get past it. The beer pours a ruby tinged brown color. There was very little head on it, and it didn’t linger or leave any lacing. The aroma is nice. Some bourbon, but not overpowering. Hints of vanilla and chocolate. Some caramel also. More of a medium bodied beer. The taste is good. Chocolate and caramel malts. Hints of the vanilla and just a touch of the bourbon. Hints of dark fruits also. Very little sweetness to it. Tasty. Nothing really special about it, but it is still good.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2012 20:33:10 | More by Boto

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

after fighting with the wax and bottle cap for over 10 minutes i finally made a dent in the wax and was able to chip away at the cap and fold half of it over. what the fuck guys, i've seen better wax jobs on homebrews made from crayons!

poured a deep brownish red with 2 fingers of head and excellent retention. smells of vanilla, chocolate, subtle notes of bourbon, oak.. very mellow scents from a barrel aged beer.
the flavor is a delicious sweet wet pecan like profile up front, blended with a subtle bourbon vanilla and a faint hint of coffee. not overwhelming on the bourbon, which is good for a change - you get to taste the actual malty sweetness of the beer and the other delicious characteristics.

medium in body, lightly carbonated, slightly watery for a barrel aged beer.

honestly, not a bad beer at all.. very tasty. my only grudge is the damn wax.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 02:15:03 | More by facundoCNB

csiewert

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Ok let's start with the bottle itself... If you want your beer to be enjoyed, make sure you can open it. The wax was so hard and brittle that it took 10 minutes just to chip it away so you could get some leverage on the cap... Then some wax inevitably made it into the beer itself... Unfortunately packaging is not a rating here, but I wanted to voice my opinion.

A - thin dark copper color, clear with a trace of tan head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

S - toasted oats, caramel and vanilla... Very sweet, but nicely apparent

T - this reminds me of maple brown sugar oatmeal... The vanilla from the bourbon barrel is up front, with a nice bready backbone. No off flavors here.

M - thin, watery... Would expect something this to be a little thicker in mouthfeel

O - an average doppelbock... I think the bourbon barrel aging plays well, but the base beer was poorly executed

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 03:31:21 | More by csiewert

Kunstman

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

12-13-2012 02:56:25 | More by Kunstman

derkfromwi

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +7%

12-12-2012 05:16:24 | More by derkfromwi

NickSMpls

Minnesota

2.5/5  rDev -33.2%

12-09-2012 00:48:42 | More by NickSMpls

crusu

3.9/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

After chipping away at the cap it poured a nice copper brown- decent head.

Smells like candied sugar, coconut, vanilla, cherry and of course bourbon.

Taste as good as it smells with first warm hints of bourbon and toasted coconut followed by a nice hint of vanilla and maraschino cherries. As the beer warmed to room temp it had hints of raisin and plum. Almost like a Trappist?? Still had lingering notes of vanilla and caramel finishing with a nice gentle after bite.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 06:01:14 | More by crusu

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a brownish-red with limited head that did not lace. Wonderful aroma, full of candied plums and Bourbon Whiskey. Clean flavours. Sweet dark fruit, toffe, and Bourbon. Lovely, lovely Bourbon. Very harmonious. Vanilla, molasis, subtle char. A Bourbon beer that tastes like beer first, not the other way around. Overal a medium sweet sipper. Nothing over the top....not the best burbon barrel i've had, but a nice beer nontheless.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2012 17:50:30 | More by WoodBrew

Hopstout

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

11-22-2012 18:04:34 | More by Hopstout

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours out a dark brown color with two fingers of tan head that lasts for about two minutes, but doesn't leave behind much lacing on the glass. Medium-light body and carbonation levels. As an aside, the bottle had FAR too much wax on it, I really had to struggle with knives for several minutes to chip away enough of it to pop the cap off.

It has a medium dollop of bourbon flavor and aroma to it that seems well balanced with the caramel, toffee, and dark bready malts. Still, it's not quite at the intensity level of bourbon / wood that most other barrel aged beers I've had present. It's an easy-going BBL aged doppelbock, something I had no idea even existed up until now, and I'm not sure I'd seek this one out again when I can access bolder offerings on the shelf at the store for similar price points. And that thinner body is somewhat distracting. What this beer needs to do is maintain the balance levels of it's parts while turning up the volume knob to 8-10. Because right now, it's at 5.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 21:29:13 | More by WastingFreetime

yamar68

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice looking bock - murky copper/brown body, pretty still looking, a dense beige cap swells to fill the mug, good lacing.

Smooth dark caramel, root beer notes, subtle bourbon character, earthy malts, toffee, a pretty well balanced smelling beer.

Smoky charred oak, dull berry notes, maple syrup, brown sugar, fresh tobacco, slightly bitter on the tail end. Not too potent... very smooth, clean. Could use a bit more body. Not mind-blowing but tasty nevertheless.

Give it a go if you're curious.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2012 01:00:51 | More by yamar68