A taste of... Goosinator Doublebock Lager '07
A taste of... Goosinator Doublebock Lager '07
Left Hand Brewing Co.
Longmont, CO
Preface: This is another one of the beers sent to me by the Left Hand Brewing Co. late last year. No doubt many of you have already had a chance to sample this product. It came in good shape and has been kept refrigerated at approximately 40°F. As you can see from the picture, this is another excitable little fellow. It took a major effort not to have the head fill the entire glass, but it was worth the effort. At 7.5% ABV I don't believe that perhaps it has had some time to mellow.
Appearance: This is a deep brown ruby colored brew topped by a sandy colored head of both large and small bubbles forming a very good Belgian lace on the side of the glass.
Aroma: There's a light touch of smoke in the aroma with sweet malt dark malt undertones. The smoke is neither overpowering nor offensive.
Now feel: As a full-bodied beer. The effervescence keeps it from becoming too heavy, and the second sip follows through accordingly.
Flavor:That moment between lip and sip betrays the fact that this is not heavily smoked beer. There is more than enough malt flavor here to keep the smoke flavor becoming overpowering. What hops flavors there are marry so well with smoke flavor that it becomes almost imperceptible.
Comments: I'm not a particular fan of smoke to beers, with the exception of some of the German beers tasted on premise. This one however does not keep smoke to a minimum; rather it blends it nicely with both the malt and hops. After the second or third taste the smoke marry so well that I have to remind myself. It's an impressive brew.
Cheers!
Peter Lafrance
( http://www.beerbasics.com )
