Samuel Adams Imperial Series Double Bock
Samuel Adams Double Bock is brewed with a half pound of malt in each bottle, almost enough for a loaf of bread. This rich intense, lager reveals a deep mahogany color and velvety smooth flavor. Samuel Adams Double Bock is one of our most sought after brews. Enjoy!
3.4
558 reviews
Boston, United States
Community reviews
Rated base on notes taken 11 Feb 2012 -- Drinking again on weekend pass from OTS at Auburn. A good Doppel, but I wish it had a little more body.
Bottled into optimal or mug. Brownish clear pour, caramel and bread scents. Similar taste, a bit too sweet and notable burn but pretty nice effort
i had fundamnetal questions about this beer, one being why. why brew an imperial double bock? their seasonal release double bock, which costs less for a six-pack than this one does for 4, is a solid brew. I’d have been surprised if this imperial version was as good, let alone better, for the extra $$$, but...i tried it anyway. looks nice. deep mahagony brown, some light head. aroma is weak when the beer is chilled, but warms up nicely. sweet malt bready dominance in the nose. the body is fairly full, as was the regular release, but this one borders on sticky sweet. overkill? maybe. for a while as it warms, though, the alcohol lends a nice warming finish. this becomes cloying too, though. by the time it reaches close to room temperature, it’s a little much too. overall this was a pretty good oversweet beer that’s not quite as good as it’s cheaper cousin"
Poured from bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a deep mahogany color with a rather large head of off white foam. The head has a decent level of retention, fading over time to leave a very nice level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the beer is massive of a sweet caramel smell and is mixed with some lighter aromas of a more chocolate and bready smell. Along with these aromas comes some other sweeter smells of a dark fruit nature with some fig and raisin hitting the nose. A little bit of a molasses as well as some very light hop smells of an herbal nature and a little bit of a boozy rum smell come to the nose, overall producing a nice sweet and warming smell.
Taste – The taste begins big and malty with tons of caramel and some very bready and roasted malt flavors. As the taste advances the darker roasted malt flavors are intensified with a bit more roast and some darker fruits of raisin and fig joining the tongue. The darker fruits also add some more sweetness to the brew and with a molasses flavor that develops later in the taste, ends up sweetening the brews taste ever so slightly sweeter, even with a loss of some of the caramel sweetness. A tiny bit of a boozy rum comes to the tongue at the end, but this is rather light for a bock of 9.5 % abv, leaving a decently roasted, and dark fruity sweetened, malty flavor to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is super thick and creamy with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. For the double bock style the feel is right on with it really nicely complimenting the malty and sweeter flavors of the brew and making for a nice slow sipper.
Overall – A big and robust, thick and fruity sweet double bock. If looking for something very sweet and malty then this is a good choice, with it delivering in both sweet and malty with a bit of alcohol and roast balancing it all out. Overall fairly tasty.
Purchased from Breeze In, Lemon Creek/Juneau, AK.
Grumbler was poured into a mug and a pilsener. Pretty much the same in both glasses.
The appearance was a semi-dark red to brown color with a decent transparency about it to allow a stringy carbonation to be seen rising. The head was about less than a finger’s worth. The lacing in both glasses was speckled and sliding right on into the beer.
The smell started off with a decent caramel to bready earthy toast. A light dark chocolate came across decently.
The taste was roasty and sweet through all of the previously mentioned flavors.
On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a decent sessionability about it. The carbonation was there and good for the doppelbock style.
Overall, its good for the style for the most part and you know I would have this again, though, it ain’t no Celebrator, this one is still worthy for the most part.
This beer pours a beautiful deep amber brown color with a small cap of creamy foam. Inside this big beer there is some slow moving carbonation making its way through the thick body. Its light tan head holds on well and makes a little lacing on the glass. The aroma has some nice sweet malty notes of sweet dark bread, roasted barley, caramel, and brown sugar. There is a boozy note as well and hops can be found way off in the background. Like the aroma its flavor sweet and malty but not overly so or to the point of being cloying. The abv comes through and adds some mellow warmth to its overall character. Hop bitterness is low and just light leafy hop spice is noted in the finish. The palate is thick and heavy with just enough carbonation to give it some life.
A - heavy malt backbone with hints of smoked wood and leather
A- dark leather with a tan head
M - heavy malt with light carbonation
T- malty finish that is sweet and hot with the alcohol.
O - fits the style and finishes on the malty style
Rich mahogany color , with nice beige head.Aroma of malt, caramel and hint of raisins. Sweet malty taste with notes of roasted caramel and dark fruits. Full body, low carbonation. Long roasted bitterness in aftertaste.
Great malty beer. Nice dark color and head. Very much like a piece of dark bread.
Bottle from Total Wine. Pours a mahogany brown with no head. Total malt bomb. Smells of malt and tastes of malt. Has a very thick mouthfeel -- not quite beer syrup, but the consistency of NyQuil. Fun to drink and tasty if you can find it.
I’m not a huge Sam Adams fan, but thought I would try this one on a whim. Pours a very pretty amber color with tan foam - huge bubbles at the surface. Aroma is malt and a little skunkiness from the hops, but mostly malt. Not a very complex or pleasant scent. The taste is a little better; malty, light and drinkable for 9.5% ABV. I wanted a stronger taste; this is a little weak. Palate is decent, goes down smooth but has a weird metallic aftertaste. I won’t be getting this again, perhaps it’s the style but to me this is just a watered down Oktoberfest.
Pours a dark copper-amber color with an unboiled wort appearance. The tan head fades pretty quickly leaving a thin cap. Some lace clings to the edges. Big toffee and sorghum nose. Thicker texture, but not at all coating. Sorghum, date, toffee, and baseball card bubblegum.
Style: Double Bock
Color: Dark Honey
Taste: slightly sweet, oddly light, malty, dry finish
Comment: Overall it's not a bad beer, but it is just missing something. However, in their defense I did just have the Ayinger Brewery Double Bock which is out of this world... This Bock is more like Houston, there are worse places to be but I am never sure where I am.
Hearty caramel. fruitbread and alcohol aromas. Cherrywood varnish appearance, and that is appropriate. Extreme sweetness, would be puckering if not so strong, which is its own issue. Syrupy, sludgey body, falls between the standard German doppels and their frozen counterparts.
Another good beer in the Imperial Series. It's definitely a malt bomb; does for malt what a DIPA does for hops. A tad too malty for me, I'll go for a Paulaner Salvator if I want a Double Bock.
12 ounce bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 3/3/2013. Pours slightly hazy deep ruby red color with a 2 finger dense khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, raisin, plum, pear, apple, biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt and yeast ester notes; with good strength. Taste of caramel, toast, toffee, brown sugar, raisin, plum, pear, apple, biscuit, nuttiness, herbal, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, toast, toffee, raisin, plum, pear, apple, biscuit, nuttiness, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Damn nice balance, complexity, and robustness of malt and yeast ester flavors; with a great malt/fruitiness balance and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a moderately creamy and slick mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a excellent doppelbock! All around great complexity, balance, and robustness of malt and yeast flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering.
Bottle: Poured a murky brown color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention and some light lacing. Aroma of heavy residual sugar with loads of caramel malt is sweeter than expected. Taste is also dominated by too much residual sugar with loads of caramelized malt without much else in terms of characteristics. Body is quite full with light carbonation. A bit too sweet an done-dimensional for my taste.
Not a huge fan of this beer, it was fairly flat and it was a murky brown with little to no head, smells great and taste a little bit like bourbon and vanilla.
Bottle. Molasses and dark brown bread barley malt aroma. Deep amber with a moderate beige head. Sweet molasses, brown bread, raisin, and toasty bitter flavor. Full creamy body, moderate carbonation. Alcohol becomes apparent as it warms.
Strong aroma of sweet malt, dark amber colour not much of a head. A complex taste of malt, smoke, band aids, sweet, a hint of bourbon. Strong malt finish slightly bitter.
Poured from a bottle. Amber color, not much of a head. Strong malt aroma. Malty alcohol body with a band aide finish.
Poured out of a bomber into an imperial pint.
Pours a nearly opaque dark brown with a one finger light tan head. Just ok head retention fading to a light coating over the beer. Just a few splotches of lacing on the sides of the glass.
Aroma has a big hit of raisin plums/prunes, and brown sugar. Some burnt sugar/ dark caramel along with a touch of grass from the hops. Just a tiny bit of metal that detracts a little but not bad altogether.
Huge hit of molassass and dark fruit in the flavor. The metal is, thankfully, not present here at all. Dark bread and fruitcaked along with a good shot of alcohol in the finish providing a pleasant warming at the back of the throat. Mouthfeel is a bit syrupy up front but that fades rather quickly leaving just a moderate sweetness on the finish.
Overall, a nice stab at the style from Sam Adams. While this is not my favorite style overall, I do enjoy this beer and might even pick it up again sometime.
Hot alcohol taste and bite. Not smooth. Hardly any rich malt character. Dark fruit. Not good representation of style and not enjoyable
Bottle. Deep amber color with almost no head. Aroma is heavy on molasses with a bit of syrup and grain. Taste matches the aroma. Sweet and thick with a smooth and warming finish and a nice lingering flavor.
Bottle. Color was an amber, brown with a decent head. Taste was very malty, fruit cake and slightly sweet. Aroma was dried fruit, caramel, and fruit cake.
(Bottle, Monk’s Café Wallingatan, Stockholm) Dark reddish brown colour with brief, beige head. Malty, vinous nose with notes of caramel, dark bread, dried fruit and burnt rubber. Malty taste with caramel, brown sugar, raisins, prunes, roasted grain, dark bread, wort, a touch of chocolate and a gentle spicy bitterness in the finish. Almost full body, fairly sweet. Aromas were a bit harsh and vinous to start, but settled down after a while. Taste well balanced from the start. Nice one.
12 oz bottle from Wilbur’s. Deep reddish brown and clear with a small, light tan head and patchy lacing. The aroma and flavor is rich with bready malts, caramel, chocolate, nutty, light vanilla, earthy and light bitterness. Pretty sweet and malty with a touch of dark fruit. Medium body with a thick syrupy feel.and a warming finish. Their original double bock was my first "big beer" (8.8%) so it was interesting to revisit this after 8 years or so.
Rating #666. 12 oz bottle, Andersons, $2.99. Lighter garnet; frothy light brown head dissipates fairly quickly but can be slightly revived with swirling. Malty, vinous, fruity esters, toast, caramel, nutty, bubble gum. Flavor is slightly flat but similar to aroma; alcohol warmth in the exhale is shy of astringent but not by much (not bad for 9.5% abv). Oily, full, coating texture; medium carbonation is bubbly but granular. Tasty stuff. Good to see such a mass market brand producing high-tier stuff.
Lots of malt. They claim "subtle" hops. A little too subtle; needs a tad more to balance out the sweetness. I even tasted a hint of bourbon; probably because of the high alcohol content.
12oz bottle - pours amber brown with ivory head and good lacing. Nose is caramel. Flavor adds molasses or some sort of natural sugars, and alcohol.very sweet. light to medium body. I think I will add this to styles I don’t get overall.