After meeting at a few beerfests
and instantly striking up a friendship, the founders of Mobcraft Beer and BadgerState Brewing thought it would probably be a good idea to brew a collaborative beer
together at some point in the future. This
past fall they got together and thought it would be fun to launch a Packer’s
themed beer, Badger State Brewing is only a couple blocks away from Lambeau Field
after all, and launch it during a Packers game. From those noble beginnings, Dubbel Czech was
brewed and released in time for the Packers final regular season home game
against the Lions on December 28th.
I have long since made it part of my pre-Packers game ritual to stop by
Badger State on my way to Lambeau Field for Packers home games and was pleasantly
surprised to walk into the brewery and also be walking into a beer release
party. I immediately ordered a couple
pints of Dubbel Czech at the bar and went back later to buy a couple bottles.
With the NFC Championship game
coming up this weekend, what better beer to drink during the game than a Packers
themed beer produced by the collaborative team of Mobcraft Beer and Badger
State Brewing. The beer, Dubbel Czech is
a mashup of two excellent beer styles, a Belgian Dubbel, and a Czech Pilsner. You might be thinking, “wait… isn’t that
Czech Pilsner thing what Budweiser, Coors, and Miller have been claiming to
sell all this time?” First off no, and
second, not even close, but I will get to that some other time; believe it or
not a good Czech Pilsner actually pretty flavorful. Let’s move on for now and double back at some
point in the future. Belgian Dubbels are
complex, malty and sweet with fruity Belgian esters of raisins, plums, dried
cherries, and apples; many of which come from the dark malts and Dark Belgian
candi sugar that gives a Dubbel its characteristic color. Czech Pilsners on the other hand have a rich pilsner
malt character that can come across as grainy or Graham cracker-like with soft,
rounded floral or spicy hops. A fusion of
the two, well, there is only one way to find out.
Back to the beer, the name
Dubbel Czech is in reference to a famous Championship Belt celebratory move by none other than
Aaron Rodgers, which became the Discount Double Check in the now famous State
Farm Discount Double Check commercials
(Embedded video is no longer available.)
. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the commercials, by all means check them out because they are pretty hilarious! The player on the Dubbel Czech label, well that could be anyone with the greyed out visor but I choose to believe that it’s my favorite QB doing both a Lambeau Leap and his signature celebratory move. However to avoid any potential lawsuits the guys just decided to make him a generic Packers-themed player. Interestingly enough, on either side of the player are the owners of the two breweries. From left to right on the Badger State side is Sam, Mike, and Andrew; with Mike holding the Badger State sign. On the other side from left to right (and I really hope I am getting this right) are Giotto, Andrew, and Henry. The label is a great testament to the two breweries and my favorite football team!
On to the review, Dubbel Czech
does not currently have a score on either Beeradvocate or ratebeer.
They Say:
Ahh, collaboration! After meeting at a few beer festivals and
realizing we had a lot in common (three founders in their mid-20’s, brewing
beer and loving it), we decided to put our heads together and brew an awesome
beer to launch on a Sunday afternoon in Green Bay, WI! This Blond Dubbel features the classic
Belgian yeast character on a bed of pilsner and abbey malts with Czech noble
hops for a malty, golden colored ale that finishes with earthy hop notes.
I Say:
Dubbel Czech pours a crystal
clear reddish amber with a creamy moderately thick eggshell (off-white) colored
head that holds excellent retention, lasting through almost the entire glass. The thick creamy head leaves heavy lacing
behind in the glass, which is of course a good thing. Sweet pilsner malts come to the forefront in
the aroma with their characteristic delicate grainy breadiness. Belgian yeast esters blend into the aroma
contributing notes of overripe pears, and golden raisins which match well with earthy,
herbal, floral, and slightly spicy hops.
Subtle notes of bubblegum round out the perceptibly sweet aroma, indicating
that this brew, like the offerings of both Mobcraft and Badger State is
remarkably complex and welcoming.
Slightly grainy pilsner malts
lead in the flavor with a subtle, sweet note of honey backing them up. Pear and golden raisin esters blend with herbal,
floral, and earthy hops, adding additional depth to the flavor profile, and
greatly increasing the complexity of the beer.
Slight spicy phenolics linger on the edges as the beer warms, although
they are undetectable through most of the glass. There is a slight sweetness with notes of pear
and raisins in the finish, transition to a slightly grainy and herbal
aftertaste. Moderately malty with moderately
high hop bitterness, Dubbel Czech is a little closer to the Chzech Pilsner side
of the blending than the Belgian Dubbel, at least on the hopping frequencies. With a medium body and a moderate level of
carbonation, it comes in right where a blending of the two styles should be.
Dubbel Czech is a great blending
of a Czech Pilsner and Belgian Dubbel!
The guys at both Mobcraft and Badger State have some serious brewing
acumen, doing some interesting mashups and just having an amazingly drinkable
product. And yes, I am still moving
forward with my ever persistent campaign to reclaim the word drinkability to
have it be applied to beers and beer styles that are actually worth of the
label. Great craft beer, like Dubbel
Czech, embodies what drinkability should stand for, something that can be
enjoyed without getting trashed on the first sip. It is malty, fruity, and appropriately hoppy;
this beer is the definition of drinkability.
Be sure to pick up a bottle or
two if you can still find them to enjoy during the NFC Championship game! That’s all for today, be sure to check back
soon for my next review!
Happy Drinking, and remember to
always Drink Wisconsinbly!