Beer of the Week

The beer: Live Deliciously

Brewed by: Forward Brewing, Annapolis, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Dopplebock, a strong German-style dark lager brewed with Dark Munich malt and smoked Beechwood malt. Notes of toffee and subtle smoke with a warming finish."

Would I buy it again? I don't want to say I liked this better than a Troegenator, but it's very, very close. It was an extremely good doppelbock, and I'd buy it again in a second. It's too bad this particular brewery doesn't distribute locally. 

Beer of the Week

The beer: Doppelganging

The brewery: Rough Edges Brewing, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "German style strong lager originally brewed by monks to get them through a lengthy fast. Known as liquid bread."

Would I buy it again? This really is the dream. The local brewery, just a 10-minute walk away, making my favorite style of beer. It sounds like a recipe for success, but have they managed to stick the landing?

I'm happy to report that, yes, they did. This beer is clean, tasty, and malty, exactly like a doppelbock should be. I might have preferred it to be a little denser with a touch more flavor, but that's nitpicking. No, it's not quite as good as a Troegenator, but 90% as good is still very, very tasty. I really hope this one sticks around for a while, because I'm definitely planning on buying some more of these.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Duck-Rabbator Dopplebock

Brewed by: Duck-Rabbit Brewery, Farmville, North Carolina

Description (from the website): "The Duck-Rabbator Dopplebock is a powerfully malty German-style lager. The malty/grainy flavors so dominate this beer, it's like a whole loaf of bread in every glass! Is it a beverage or is it a meal? It's both."

Would I buy it again?: Of course I would, double bocks are my favorite style of beer. I don't think this one was quite as good as a Troegenator; I felt like it was maybe missing a little of flavor and thickness, compared with the Troegenator, but it was pretty close. I'd definitely get it again just for a bit of variety in my double bock consumption.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Troegenator Double Bock

Brewed by: Tröegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Monks had fasting figured out. No food? No problem. Just drink a Double Bock. Thick and chewy with intense notes of caramel, chocolate and dried stone fruit, ‘Nator (as we call him) serves as a tribute to this liquid bread style."

Would I buy it again?: Ha. Good one. Is it cheating for me to review my literal favorite beer? Well, I'm going to do it anyway. It tastes good, it's incredibly smooth and drinkable, and while this a beer for cooler weather, it's not so heavy and dark to be unpleasant to drink during the summer. And that's not even mentioning the alcohol content. It says 8.2%, but I swear it's more than that. No beer affects me quite like a Troegenator.

Simply put, this is a wonderful beer and you should definitely try it out if you haven't already.