Indian Wells Lobotomy Bock

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Triggered by the name. Strong dark beer with good taste. Served in bottle, so hard to tell color and foam, one have to get used to this in teh US. Somewhat dry but long staying palette. Good.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

nice dark amber color, with large head that doesn't hang around for very long, the beer has a slightly sweet but very nice aroma. Over all it has a nice finish with just a touch of bitterness from the hops. Not quite up to the German standards but not bad.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

This is a classic German Dopple Bock. My first sight of it was in a tall 20 oz. mug. Very dark with a small hint of a red hue. The smell reminded me of of a nut brown beer. The taste was unbelievable! Fresh and crisp! It left a sweet, nutty after taste on my pallet. I really enjoyed this bock. I had two of them, and I was done!

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

Lobotomy Bock pours a dark reddish brown with a quickly dissipating head, nothing to complain about. The smell is a different story. The aroma is sweet, thin and hoppy with a slight twinge of alcohol. It’s bad news but an accurate announcement of the coming experience. Much like the aroma, the taste is thin and sweet with some nuttiness and malt, which is almost nice. The best notes are upfront, giving way to a watery finish. At 5-6% abv, this beer would have received higher marks. As a Doppelbock and at a reported 10.8% abv (a dirty, dirty lie), this beer is entirely too sweet and seriously lacking body. In addition, the carbonation is quite weak and the sweetness makes my cheeks cringe a bit. I had trouble finishing it. Thin, sweet and under-carbonated.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 2 | Overall: 3

at 10.8 i still had hope for this one after 6 crappy beers, but it sucked as well. i'm actually surprised at the decent scores it's received. looks great, but for lack of head, like most of em. this had a nice malt backbone on top of what wound up as a drainpour beer. i really hope this isn't the best they can do. this brewery sucks! where the hell are the high three'3 coming from? not from what i drank!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 5

Sampled June 2009
A vigorous pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a four-finger thick, very lightly browned, tan colored head. The beer is a dark, concentrated, well burnt amber color that shows a brilliantly clear, bright ruby hue when held up to the light. The aroma smells thick and sweet with a ton of bright fruitiness that reminds me of raisins, and prunes. The malt is pretty big in the nose, concentrated malt notes even start to get into the savory side of the spectrum, though they predominantly are sweet. There is a brightness to the sweetness here that seems to be lacking in the rich, complex sweetness that I really like to find in a strong Bock; it is almost a bit too simple-sugar focused, more caramelization and Maillard browning richness would be a welcome addition that is lacking in this beers aroma. This doesn't seem to be the cleanest fermentation profile either as there seems to be some bubble-gum like aromatics here and a touch of fusel alcohols that provide a touch of warming. The aroma is actually pretty enjoyable, but it is more of a Belgian interpretation of a Bock. I am able to pick out notes of cotton candy, caramelize fruit notes, perhaps a hint of toasty malt and just a wisp of underlying malt richness.

Wow, fairly light bodied and not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggested; this last makes it all the more apparent how un-Lager like the fermentation character in this beer is, definitely not a good example of a clean Lager fermentation. The beer is actually quite thin for a Bock, much less a amplified DoppelBock. I do like that this isn't nearly as sweet as I was dreading, the sweetness that is here is a bit simplistic and is missing that rich, concentrated malt depth that should be in a decent version of anything with Bock on the label. The relative dryness does allow the toasted, dark malt character to come out a bit more. The beer finishes with a toasted, biscuit like and browned bread crust character. There seems to be a touch of phenolics here almost, though it is more like some fusel alcohol notes in the finish. The lack of overt sweetness also seems to make the fruitiness here lean towards the almost tart plum / prune side of the spectrum.

I am a bit conflicted on this beer, from a stylistic standpoint this beer is a complete mess, but it is actually not half bad, especially if you think of it as a Belgian interpretation of a DoppelBock. In the end though the body and flavor is lacking the richness and complexity that is need to really carry this beer.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

tommy like wingey!

Pours a dark thick cola colour .. . decent head pool .. . wonderful aroma, from coffee cake to molasses and burnt sugar, Very nice .. . very smooth, where is the alcohol!?!? wow, dry and flavourful... Amazing doppelbock, IMO, because i really don’t like doppels and this is easy to drink and very clean... insane... . . Not cloying or thick, just easy to put down.. . raven crow never smile .. . . Dangerous stuff, truly.. you’d drink 4 in half an hour and fall down... . i miss being a baby, just lying on the ground, rolling around....

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Tasted during the Nor Cal Beer Geek Tasting on 3/11/2009. This dopplebock pours a medium brown color from the bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, fruity and sweet. A medium bodied dopplebock. The malts are fruity and sweet, caramel and some chocolate. The hops are earthy. Seems a touch thin tasting. Hides the alcohol very well. Mouthfeel is a touch thin. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

aroma of sweet caramel malts and some dark fruit. Black body, head fades quickly and doesnt leave much lace. Flavor is earthy, aftertaste is similar to mushrooms, also there is a slight sweetness to it. Alcohol is well hid. Overall it was passible.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Very huge, almost chewy, mouthfeel. Soft fuzz-like carbonation. Reddish brown color. Balances out pretty well. Just a little sweetness that pops out at the end. Finish is clean, very little aftertaste. A very nice treat to indulge in once in a while. A pretty decent, if uninteresting, bock from a passable brewery.