It’s that time of the year again, when the next round of Grand Teton
Cellar Reserve beers is released.
Leading the pack this year is Double Vision, first brewed in 2009 and
re-released as part of the 2013 Cellar Reserve series and now re-released as
part of the 2016 Cellar Reserve series. The 2016 series has some great beers on the
horizon with a return of Double Vision Doppelbock as the first release on February 15th, a Gose on May 15th, and the return of Wake
Up Call Imperial Coffee Porter in April, followed by a barleywine brewed with
rye in December. It will certainly be an
interesting Cellar Reserve release year!
Doppelbock, literally a double
bock is a traditional German Strong beer (Starkbier), also commonly referred to
as a Fastenbier (Lenten beer). The
double bock originally started as a bock brewed in the 1630s by the monks of order
of Saint Francis of Paola in Neuhauser Straße in Munich,
doppelbock was a stronger version of the traditional bock the monks brewed and
relied upon for sustenance as “liquid bread” during Lenten fasting. During lent, the 46 days between Ash
Wednesday and Easter Sunday the monks believed that the beer they brewed would
cleanse their body and soulm and because it was a holy rite, imbibing the beer
brought them closer to God. Even the
monks grew concerned that their strong beer was taking the holy rite a little
too far so they sought and obtained papal sanction and continued to brew the beer
in greater quantities. Over time the strength
of the Fastenbier brewed by the Paulaner monks gradually increased in alcohol
content and the beer was first illegally then legally served to the surrounding
populace. The beer style has a checkered
and interesting past since the first release was apply named Salvator, for the
Savior the monks honored when they brewed and consumed it. While I won’t go into the intricacies of the
history of doppelbock here, the German Beer Institute has a great write-up on
the style, and the Paulaner monastery that created it: http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/Doppelbock.html
I first reviewed Double Vision
with the 2009 Cellar Reserve release. The 2013 release was a great beer, and I picked
up a few bottles that I enjoyed during the spring and early summer, so it was a
great throwback to try the beer again three years later.
They Say:
Double Vision Doppelbock was
first brewed in 2009 to highlight our brewery’s wonderful water. Like all the
great traditional brewing towns, our home, Victor, Idaho, is in or near some of
the world’s best barley- and hop-growing regions, and is distinguished by an
ample supply of top- quality water.
Our Double Vision Doppelbock is brewed with Idaho 2-Row Pale and German
Munich, Cara- Aroma, CaraMunich and de-husked Carafa malts to an original
gravity of 22˚ Plato. The malts provide a dark leather color with ruby notes, a
luxurious tan head, and a bready aroma with a hint of smoke. It is lightly
spiced with German Hallertau Tradition hops and fermented with lager yeast from
a monastery brewery near Munich. In the traditional manner, Double Vision is
fermented cold (48˚F) and lagered a full 12 weeks for smoothness. At 8.0%
alcohol by volume, it is a deceptively drinkable springtime warmer.
The 17th century Paulist monks of Munich were allowed no solid food
during their twice-yearly fasts. They brewed an especially nourishing strong
dark lager they called “liquid bread” and named “Holy Father” to help them
through the Lenten and Advent fasts. The beer was known as a doppelbock, which
signifies a strong lager. Since “bock” also means “billy goat” in German, these
beers are often decorated with images of gallivanting goats.
Double Vision’s slightly burnt caramel flavor and malt sweetness make it
an incredible match for game—venison, moose, duck, goose, and wild
boar—especially when prepared with fruity sauces or reductions. Try it with
pork and sautéed apples, roasted root vegetables, sweet sausages, ham or
prosciutto. It’s wonderful with cheese and dessert, too. Pair it with an aged
gruyère, a caramel flan, or a crème brûlée.
Original Gravity (Plato): 22.0˚
International Bitterness Units: 40
Alcohol by Volume: 8.0%
Color (Lovibond): 47.0˚
Color (Lovibond): 47.0˚
Double Vision Doppelbock will be available February 15th, 2016 in 1/2 and
1/6 bbl kegs and bottle-conditioned 6/750 mL cases.
I Say:
Double Vision Doppelbock pours a
translucent deep walnut with mahogany and garnet highlights when held to the
light. It’s capped with a thick, small bubbled
khaki head with a light rocky breakup.
The head holds excellent retention and leaves moderate lacing behind in
the glass. Bready and caramel malts lead
in the aroma with notes light chocolate, and a finish reminiscent of fresh
baked whole grain bread crust. Slight notes
of alcohol and plum arise as the beer warms to room temperature.
Rich whole grain bread crust
leads in the flavor with notes of burnt caramel and notes of dark stone fruit. Burnt caramel ad dark plum notes become
increasingly prominent as the Double Vision warms. Just shy of being full bodied with a
moderately low level of carbonation, Double Vision is slightly viscous, a
perception which was further enhanced for me by the brews full maltiness, and
just the right amount of hop bitterness to balance the malty sweetness without the
beer being perceptively bitter. It’s
fair to say that I really enjoyed this beer and I hope that Grand Teton Brewing
doesn’t take another 3 years to re-release it.
Perhaps it could enter a seasonal rotation like Snarling Badger did a
while back, so I guess if I had one request for Rob Mullin and the brewing
staff, it would be that.
Grand Teton Cellar Reserve
releases have not disappointed me in the past, and Double Vision is yet another
example of the high quality product the brewery releases on a daily basis. Unfortunately Grand Teton beers are becoming
increasingly hard to find in Wisconsin, but hopefully that will change sometime
soon and the full lineup, along with every special release will once again be
available. If you do happen to find a
bottle of Double Vision Doppelbock, by all means pick it up, heck pick up as
many as you can get your hands on because it is a great beer that should age
extremely well, if the 2013 release is any indication.
That's all for tonight, check back soon... I am trying to get more reviews out more often...
Happy Drinking!
