Autumnal Fire

Capital Brewing Co.
Middleton, WI

Available: WI

This American doppelbock is true to the tradition of Bavarian “liquid bread,” as the style was known to monks who relied on it for sustenance during Lenten fasts.

ABV: 7.5
ABW: 6
Color: 32
Bitterness: 28
Original gravity: 1078

Antique amber color with chestnut hues. Richly textured, with toffee, molasses, malted milk balls, roasted nuts and dates. Roasted grains and bitter chocolate add complexity and keep the beer from becoming cloying–which is probably why, by the time I was done writing these notes, my glass was empty. That's a good thing.
- John Hansell

The label states clearly "doppelbock," but somehow this doesn't taste quite rich enough or strong enough for that title. The aroma is there—lashings of caramel and toffee with a faint underpinning of spicy mocha—but the body seems a bit thin and a tad roasty compared to some of the malty classics of this style. And at the low end of strength for a doppel, I suspect, or the high end for a conventional bock. Regardless, it's still a pleasing tipple and would pair beautifully with glazed ham or roasted chestnuts.
- Stephen Beaumont

John Hansell
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.

Stephen Beaumont
Stephen Beaumont boarded his first plane at the age of 15 and hasn't looked back since, obsessing about travel to the point that he gets nervous if he doesn’t have a ticket or two stacked on the corner of his desk. When he's not running around in search of new taste experiences, he makes his home in Toronto, where a new cultural experience is only as far away as the next neighborhood.

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