Beer of the Week

The beer: Scratch #521 - Schwarzbier

Brewed by: Tröegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Long live lagers! Especially dark ones like this Schwarzbier. Scratch #521 starts with a base of Munich and pilsner malts and a touch of de-husked roasted barley. Our house lager yeast lends a snappy character, giving the deceptively dark beer a crisp finish. With notes of toasted bread, coffee and a hint of cocoa, our take on this German-style will warm your lederhosen."

Would I buy it again? I'm a bit torn with this one. On the one hand, it was very good. It's malty and quite easy to drink, kind of like a Troegenator. But on the other, it feels a bit too much like a Troegenator. Like, if I wanted a malty dark lager from Tröegs, I would just buy a Troegenator. One could argue that, since this beer is significantly less alcoholic than a Troegenator, there's a place for something like this on the menu. But Tröegs also has the Little 'Nator, which occupies the same niche while being less dark and even more drinkable. I just don't see any circumstances where I would want this specific beer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Griswold's Doppelbock

The brewery: Solace Brewing Company, Sterling, Virginia 

Description (from the website): "Rich, sweet, malty German style beer with flavors of chocolate and dark stone fruits."

Would I buy it again? I can't resist a doppelbock, it is my favorite style of beer. Unfortunately, while it's genuinely extremely good and I can't really criticize it in terms of taste (at least not in a way that isn't nitpicking), the unfortunate truth is that Troegenators are significantly cheaper (this was $12 for a four pack, while you can get six Troegenators for that price) and the taste is ever so slightly better. Nothing against this beer, I would absolutely never say no to one, but I can't justify buying it over my literal favorite beer. 

Sorry Griswold, it was never a fair fight.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Triple Nator

Brewed by: Tröegs Independent Brewing, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "What if we took the big and malty Troegenator and made it even bigger, even maltier? So big, you could tuck it away and age it for a year or four. For this sippable triple bock, we stuffed our mash tun full with Munich and chocolate malts and added Belgian candy sugar for a rigorous fermentation. In the end, Triple Nator delivers deep toffee and crisp malty notes. Put it in a glass or put it in your cellar. The next chapter is yours."

Would I buy it again?: I have some good news and some bad news on this one. The good news: This is the best beer I've ever had. No exaggeration, no question in my mind. It's everything I love about the Troegenator and more. It's malty and sweet in all the right ways, and it's still got that liquid bread taste that all dobbelbocks should have. And the best part? It maintains a certain drinkability that the fancy stouts just don't. I wouldn't chug one down, but it's not a chore to drink. I enjoyed it just as much at the end as I did at the beginning. This is, after all, a lager, and it's kept a bit of that lager identity. It's malts, hops, yeast, and water, with only sugar as an added ingredient. It's not even hopelessly bad value, either: $20 for a four pack isn't cheap, but when you consider how strong the Triple Nator is, it's not incredibly expensive. One of these has almost exactly as much alcohol as three Yuenglings. I've paid as much or even more for beer that I liked a lot less than this.

Now for the bad news: Don't bother looking for this beer in stores, you can only get it at the brewery itself. It's on tap as of late June, and there may be bottles floating around their general store, but if you want some, you have to go to Hershey. Which is annoying, but this is some seriously good beer.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Celebrator Doppelbock

Brewed by: Ayinger Brewery, Aying, Germany

Description (from the website): "A beer that has a dominant malty taste. This beer’s origins in a monk’s recipe are reflected in its heartiness. The Pope of Beers, Conrad Seidl, describes it as: 'Almost black with a very slight red tone, a sensational, festive foam and truly extraordinary fragrance that at first summons up visions of greaves lard. The first taste is of mild fullness with an accompanying coffee tone, which becomes more dominant with the aftertaste. There is very little of the sweetness that is frequently to be tasted with doppelbock beer.' The Ayinger Celebrator has been ranked among the best beers of the world by the Chicago Testing Institute several times and has won numerous medals.

Would I buy it again?: It's just a few days before Christmas, and this feels like as appropriate a choice as any for the season. I love double bocks, and this one is quite arguably the best in the world. And I won't argue with that. It is absolutely delicious, smooth and thick and tasty. I fully admit that this beer is better than a Troegenator, comparing bottle to bottle. But this is only available in the winter, and it is significantly more expensive for one four pack of this than a six pack of Troegenator. So yes, I'd get it again, but outside the Christmas season, Troegenator is still my favorite beer.

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.