Weihenstephaner Korbinian Doppelbock

When it comes to beer that keeps me warm on cold nights, I like big, malty beer. Barleywine. Imperial stout. And — in what is apparently my first review of the style here — Doppelbock. Doppelbock, or double bock, I believe is a beer style even people who claim they “don’t like beer” can get behind, and if it offers a bit of a kick, well, so be it.

Doppelbock by style doesn’t really have to be double the recipe of a standard bock in terms of how much grain is used (which of course will affect how much alcohol the yeast can produce). But it’s useful to think in that way, as, well, it’s a strong beer.

I’ve reviewed Weihenstephaner beer before, specifically the flagship Hefeweiss, on The Feisty Foodie, but today’s beer is rather different, though every bit a standard-setter in its style. The description on the bottle, “Dunkles Starkbier”, means “dark strong beer” in German, and there’s little I can say above and beyond that to describe what you get in every bottle of Korbinian from Brauerei Weihenstephan.

Don’t worry, I’ll try anyway. A good doppelbock will showcase German malts such as Munich or Vienna, which have a distinctive flavor profile variously described as “cookie dough”, “bready”, or “toasty”. Hops? Well, hops are relegated deep, deep into the background in doppelbocks; they’re a bit above threshold levels, but it’s just a little bitterness at best and not worth worrying about. Too many American versions either sacrifice malt backbone for alcohol content, or hop the beer into a bitter mess. Learn from the Germans!

Korbinian pours a relatively clear coppery-brown, kicking up a dense, frothy tan head. I can smell the sweet graininess of Munich malt from a foot away. It’s just a beautiful, dominant smell, like walking into a brewhouse. I love it, and it’s unencumbered by other aromas — even the alcohol, here a respectable 7.4% by volume, disappears in the cloud of malty, doughy goodness.

The taste is fairly one-dimensional, granted, but I happen to like that one dimension. It’s not a sickly-sweet maltiness; it retains a thick, meaty malty backbone, and it carries that sweetness well. The minimal hopping is as predicted not in evidence, so we’re left with just the malt. And for all that head, it retains just a modest amount of carbonation to cut the caramel-thick mouthfeel. Though the sweetness does dry out against the mouth and throat through the finish, for the most part it’s just a doughy beer.

Overall, I think Weihenstephaner Korbinian is a fine beer, but it’s not as complex as I’ve experienced with doppelbocks. The brewery’s clearly better at wheat beers than strong lager. Fortunately, Germany sends us many excellent doppelbocks, such as Ayinger Celebrator, Paulaner Salvator, and Tucher Bajuvator (notice a naming trend?); these vary interestingly from the base description in different ways and are worth exploring. Stateside, I’m partial to Victory Brewing’s St. Victorius doppelbock, which happens to be out now.

Before I go, I would be derelict in my duties if I did not mention Split Thy (Brooklyn) Skull, a two-day festival celebrating strong beer, held for the 12th straight year at Mugs in Williamsburg (North 10th Street and Bedford Avenue). Small pours of a couple dozen interesting, weird, but always high-alcohol beers from around the world, many typically unavailable in New York, and a couple dozen kegs waiting for the first ones to kick. It’s not as debauched as it sounds, but, yeah, it’s a lot of fun. (Don’t expect notes.)

Second, my bottle of Weihenstephaner Korbinian came courtesy of my brother, who very recently welcomed his second son. Congratulations to the family!