Doppel Blur
Brewery: Circle Brewing Co
Style: Weizenbock (10C)
Package: 12oz Can
Purchased: Whichcraft, June, 2019
Canned Date: March 11, 2019
Consumed Date: June 20, 2019
Details From the Brewer
ABV: 7.7%
IBU: 18
Doppel Blur Imperial Hefe takes all the things you know and love about our Blur Texas Hefe and kicks them up a notch. Creamy and refreshing with a nice little bite, this amped up hefeweizen overflows with citrus, banana, and clove notes.
Review
Aroma – 7/12
Yeast is the star of the show. Medium-high notes of banana and clove fermentation esters . Medium-low bubble gum and citrus notes mix in. As you get past these flavors, a strong doughy malt character is present along with a low ethanol note.
Appearance – 1/3
Pours a murky orange almost copper color liquid. Clarity is completely obscured with a heavy haze. The thin head is made of off-white bubbles and collapses immediately.
Flavor – 12/20
Like the aroma, yeast strikes first. Spicy and clove phenolics at a medium level mix with medium-high citrus and banana ester flavors. A moderate bready, doughy malt character fills in the midtaste. A low sweetness with almost no bitterness is present as well. All of the flavors continue to the finish, where the clove phenolic lingers longer than the others. Some cardboard/oxidation character as it warms.
Mouthfeel – 2/5
Medium carbonation prickles the sides of the mouth. Some creaminess. Moderate alcohol warmth in the throat. Low grain astringency on the finish.
Overall Impression – 6/10
This hits most of the marks for a pale weizenbock. The balance of fermentation character is really spot on, without the banana or clove overpowering the other. I wish the flavors were a bit brighter here. The color is a bit darker than a pale weizenbock, but doesn’t carry any of deep fruit notes you would expect from a dark version. The lack of any head really needs some attention, as these beers should have a billowing, pillowy top. I would like a good amount more carbonation as well.
Rating – 29/50
I’ve had this beer before on tap, and it was outstanding. I feel like 3 months might be too long to hold off oxidation for this one. While most of the character is there, it’s muted and just doesn’t play as well as the draft version did. I’ll look forward to grabbing a fresher can in the future and give it another shot, but finding one might be a tough task.
