Left Hand Smoked Goosinator Doppelbock

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

Some centaurs saw a saucer.. . thanks to Alex for providing this delicious brew! .. . light smooth smoke and happy times! .. . i could drink this in place of coffee in the morning- good beer! .. always use a condom and if you can't afford them- just shoplift 'em , its easy!!

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Bottle, RBNAG 2009 in Vatlandsvåg. Cognac-coloured beer, minimal head. Aroma of smoked sausage. Lots of smoke in the flavour too, dominates completely. Not my kind of beer.

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

Bottle: Poured a clear deep amber color ale with a huge foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of of sweet malt with a side of toffee and light lingering finish of smoke malt. Taste is also very interesting with a well balanced mix between some smoked malt with some toffee and caramel malt. Body is full with great carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I very much appreciated the balance between smoke and caramel and toffee malt.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 9

When I opened my bottle, it popped and fizzed like New Year's champagne, so be careful and have a nice big thirsty towel ready! Aroma is rich and malty with a strong hoppy undertone and hints of spice and fruit. It pours a delicious-looking, cloudy mahogany with a thick, buff-colored head that is fairly persistent. Flavor is rich and mouth filling - mainly malty, with a hint of hops, some smokiness, a touch of caramel, a little sweetness and a little bitterness. Texture is lively and sassy. Give 'em a (left) hand!

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

Bottled. Deep amber colour, beige heaqd. Aroma is smoked, malty and mildly hoppy. Flavour is sweet malts, some wet and smoked/burnt wooden notes. A rather mild smoked beer.

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

(Green's Trip: 08) Bottled: 2007. First off, the cork in this one was extremely hard to pop but I finally got it. Aroma on this brew is of smoked and burnt wood and oak with some malty sweetness lurking around as well as some burnt leaves and is very pleasant. Appearance is a cloudy brownish-burgundy in color when held to the light with an absolutely massive head on top that is off-white and well-carbonated and remains on top and I hope this doesn't mean oxidation. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with complexities of smoke as well as malty balance with a palate that is wet-like and tasty and robust and well-rounded. Flavor is of smoked wood with some sweet maltiness lingering with an aftertaste that is of some light hoppiness with a finish that is clean, crisp, and smooth and very earthy and of charcoal. Overall, this truly is a rauchbier in my opinion and not so much of a doppelbock and very refined for an American brewer; much recommended if you can find this one!

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

Pours out in a hazy reddish amber colour with a big solid tan-coloured head with lots of lacing. Smoke, bread, berries, caramel and mild anise in the malty aroma. Malty and rather smokey flavour of bread, anise, caramel and ham. Straw, caramel, tar and smoke in the finish. Solid full mouthfeel. Nicely done but not as yummy as Schlenkerla Ur-Bock.

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

Carbonated enough to produce a three-finger thick, tan colored head with a regular pour. The beer is a dark, amber color and shows a brilliantly clear, cranberry color when held up to the light. The aroma is a fix for any smoked-beer lover; rich, hearty, aromatic, yet not overwhelming the smoke character is quite appetizing. Just a touch of sweet malt is noticeable, but it plays a substantial role in offsetting / keeping in check the smoke character. The aroma is a touch salty, deeply smoked a touch caramelized, sort of like a smoked salt water taffy. A very nice aroma, but only if you really enjoy smoked malt.

Soft and creamy at first, but then an aggressive carbonation causes the beer to froth a bit much. Luckily this is easily remedied with a few vigorous swirls of my glass. It still has a nice prickle of carbonation, but it is now much more in line with my idea of a Doppelbock. Creamy textured, medium full, but not too heavy; chewy, substantial with an almost velvet like finish, this is definitely a beer that just feels good (literally). Both smoke flavors and malt provide a sweetness to this brew that is a mix of raisins, salty caramel and sweet smoke. Surprisingly, underneath all this smoke character, towards the finish is a nice, solid spiciness that is clearly hop induced as well as a noticeable, slightly biting, clean bitterness in the finish. As the beer warms a bit the sweet, chewy malt becomes more noticeable, especially the raisin notes, with a bit of berry flavors, but also toasty, biscuit like notes towards the finish and substantial whole-grain bread-like quality.

While this is clearly smoke dominated, it is not so much that it overwhelms everything here; I really like that the spicy hop notes are still evident and the smooth, textured body of this brew really lets one know that this is a Doppelbock. This is more balanced in the flavor than it is in the aroma, but even the aroma has a nice malt character to it that slightly offsets the smoked aromatics. A damn tasty brew, one which I could have afforded a lot more of.

Purchased: Plaza Liquors; Tucson AZ