December 16 - Starr Hill Snow Blind Doppelbock

Welcome to installment 3 of Winter Warmer Wednesday!  Only more more of these until Christmas!!

I was planning on saving this until we got some snow, regardless of whether or not it was a Wednesday.  I enjoy keeping a theme if I'm able, however Mother Nature isn't really cooperating here in central PA.   More rain in the forecast tomorrow.

So, to keep with at least one theme, for WWW, we have Snow Blind Doppelbock from Starr Hill Brewery in Virginia.  Yet another winter beer clocking in at 7.7%.  There has to be an unwritten rule about the winter warmer being a specific ABV because, lately, these have all been the same 7.7%.  

Description from the site...

Pouring into my tulip glass a reddish-copper color there was a fine beige head on the top of this brew.

The aroma here had quite a few levels for me.  It started out with a pronounced roasted caramel along with some a slightly warm and boozy note.  Shortly after pouring, I came back to this and got a few additional notes here too.  The hop presence became more noticeable with a very distinct spruce bouquet.  I also got some raisin and toffee here to round things out.  My wife thought it smelled like pizza...her palate needs training.

Not quite...

This beer disappointed me at first because my mind immediately went to Sam Adams Boston Lager since it reminded me of a Vienna Lager-style beer.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a Boston Lager from time to time, but I didn't expect it here with a doppelbock.  As time went on, however, it distinguished itself from that style and beer.  Most prominent for me was the warming caramel flavor that coated the throat and allowed this beer to sit on the palate for quite a while.  There was also a spruce hop bite to wrap things up.  

Not too shabby for a WWW from Starr Hill.  For me, some of their beers have been a miss, but this one is one for the win column.  This is nothing that blows me away, but it's worth a pick-up the next time you're mixing up a 6-pack from your local bottle shop.  

No snow, but 3.5 out of 5 snowflakes here for this beer!

...and a "b" stocking for beer! :)

December 11 - Susquehanna Brewing - Toboggan

Susquehanna Brewing Company - Toboggan

Do you want to try a new style?
Come on, it's time to have a beer!
The snow is falling from the sky,
It's piling high,
It's a doppelbock premiere!

...now sing it

After a morning phone call telling me that school was cancelled for the day along with some time outside with the kids that involved sledding and wet, soggy clothes, it was beer:30 before I knew it.  In the fridge tonight there were still plenty of options that I was able to select, but after snow and sledding today, one beer stuck out tonight.  Susquehanna Brewing Company, in Pittston, brews only about 10 styles of beer at this time, including a pretty good IPA (Hop Five), a summertime shandy (Shady Spot)  and a Pumpkin Ale for fall.  Each of their beers was up to par for this guy.  

Last week, my wife brought home a mixed 6 pack and she went with a winter theme when selecting these brews.  In that pack was SBC's Toboggan Chocolate Doppelbock (a winter seasonal).  The doppelbock is not a style that I seek out and for that reason it's not a style that I have a ton of experience with.  I'm sure I've had them before, but I can't be 100% certain.  I had to cheat by figuring out exactly what I was supposed to get from a style like this.

You can click here to see the cliff notes version as well.

Time to step outside my comfort zone this evening...

From a Weis grand opening event a few months back, my wife got some complimentary SBC glassware that I really didn't think too much of at the time.  I poured this beer in the custom glass because it just made sense.  To my surprise, there was constant carbonation bubbling from the bottom.  Upon further inspection it was released because of the etching in the bottom of this glassware.  Well done SBC!

The aroma was powerful roasted malt along with some hints of sweetness from the cocoa that the beer is brewed with.  I also got some nutty notes from what I assume are the hops that were used in brewing.  This is something that I don't get too often from a beer.  There was also something in the aroma that I just couldn't put my finger on.  If you can, let me know and I'll revise the blog accordingly!

The taste had a very strong malty backbone.  There were hints of the sweet cocoa like in the aroma along with some nutty as well as fruity notes from the hops.  The strongest fruit taste to me resembled that of raisins or plums.  The beer was most definitely balanced because, for me, I virtually got no hop bite in the taste or in the finish.  At 8.7% there was definitely a warming feeling from this brew to finish.

All things considered, doppelbock not being high (yet) on my list of favorite brews, I would definitely enjoy this beer again.  Purchasing a whole case for wintertime though?  Not so much.  A solid 3 out of 5 for my first doppelbock experience!

I decided to use the fluffy stuff outside to get something other than my stock photo...