Widmer Brothers Reserve Cherry Oak Doppelbock
Cherry Oak Doppelbock is a rich ale, cold-fermented with dark sweet and red tart cherries, then conditioned on new, heavily toasted American oak. The result is a dark lustrous brew with up-front malty sweetness and cherry fruit notes completed by caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted oak undertones. The complex flavor profile balances the impressive 9% ABV and 40 IBUs.
3.5
223 reviews
Portland, United States
Community reviews
11/1/2009
Picked this up today while shopping for a friend.
Pours a slightly cloudy deep brown with ruby highlights and a smallish off white head that dissipates quickly but leaves a fair amount of lace on the glass. Smells of brown sugar, cherry syrup, vanilla, and some rubbing alcohol. The cherry syrup is dominant in the smell, but it definitely smells hot. The taste confirms what I thought based on the aroma. The taste is sweet and hot. I get lots of sweet cherry syrup, a touch of caramel, and enough alcohol to light a Coleman stove. mid to finish I get a bit of wet cardboard, or wet dog that isn’t to pleasant. Syrupy mouthfeel, medium body, light carbonation. The cherry is nice, and I pick up some vanilla from the oak. I think the base beer needs to be better. The label says this is an ale, so its not really a dopplebock. I think barrel aging and fruiting a mediocre beer leaves you with a mediocre barrel aged fruit beer. I could certainly drink this, but its nothing special, certainly not worth 9 bucks a bottle.
Large bottle. Dark mahogany pour with a thick creamy head. Sweet malty taste with a nice subtle cherry taste. One of the better fruit added beers out there.
65cl Bottle at Dutch RB Meeting. Deep dark brown colour, light beige head. Aroma is sweet, like raspberry candy, cherry bubblegum, sweet malts, hint of chocolate, some oak. Flavour is light tart, cherry and raspberry, light malty, candy, woody bittersweet finish. Medium to fullbodied.
Aroma is wood, cherry, yeast, some spice.
Flavour is quite sweet and fruity, some liquorice, caramel, faint cherry, figs, molasses. Good beer.
Bottle at UDRBM. Hazy dark reddish brown pour, thin white head. Aroma of fruits, sweet sugary malts, caramel and some tobacco. Flavor is sweet fruits, a hint of cherries only, sugary malts and spices. Nice balance.
I’m transferring ratings from another beer app to this one. My tasting notes wouldn’t be accurate at this point since they weren’t captured at the time.
10-Dec-09 (22-oz bottle, Bottled on 09-Sep-09: Purchased 24-Nov-09 for $7.99 at BevMo in La Jolla, CA) Any time a classic German style beer gets adulterated by some trendy new ingredient or brewing process, I get a little skeptical. But in the case of this Cherry Oak Doppelbock, the cherry and oak are not as aggressive as they could be, thus allowing the base beer -- the doppelbock -- to remain a prominent feature. That’s not to say, however, that this is an altogether successful vision. This beer pours a ruddy brown, slightly hazy body that is initially capped by a quarter-inch of tan and slightly pink-hued head that recedes with some urgency to a filmy layer and wide ring as it leaves a broken ring of lace at the top of the glass. The principle aroma is sweet, dark malts, but after a minute or so, the only way to revive the malty aroma is to give the beer a decent swirl. The nose seems to insist on settling back to a sugary-sweet and overripe fruitiness, with cherry and banana being the most apparent along with decaying wood and earthy undertones as well, but in general, it’s a muddled amalgam that doesn’t mesh very well. And unfortunately, there is a fair amount of alcohol in the nose too, further degrading the picture. On the palate, the beer is very malty, caramely, slightly chocolaty, and very sweet. Earthy and woody flavors add complexity to the flavor and a counterpoint to the rich maltiness. While the cherry fruitiness does provide a touch of much-needed tartness in the entry, the finish returns to excessive sweetness, though by the end of the session, the tartness has built up sufficiently on the palate that the sweetness is in fact offset reasonably well. Still, it takes far too long for the beer to get to this state of drinkability. Carbonation is moderate, and the body is full and rich, but part of the apparent fullness of this beer is the residual sugar. The oak provides a touch of tannins and tartness as a vague counterpart to all the sweet elements. Overall, this isn’t a bad beer, but it’s just way too sweet, and it seems likely that without the cherry and oak adding a touch of tartness, the base doppelbock on its own might be excruciatingly sweet to drink. Perhaps cellaring this beer might bring out the tartness of the cherry more, and certainly the earthiness would be augmented, but at three months after bottling, the overall flavor is only moderately enjoyable and makes a good argument that doppelbock and cherry don’t make a good marriage.
Bomber.. rating #200 for this one. Poured clear garnety-amber with a short-lived tan head. The aroma was very much on the sweet side, with molasses, black cherries, and caramel accented by oak and vanilla.. cherry dust and rough alcohol on the back.. as it warmed up, the molasses turned to dark chocolate.. a little muddled and heavy-handed. The flavor found syrupy caramel and molasses at the core, with cherry meat and vanilla laced throughout.. tart cherry skins and oak around.. alcohol warmed it up, but the sweetness held it in check for the most part.. like the nose, warmth brought out the dark chocolate, especially across the middle, which was a good thing.. dry cherry dust and oak over caramel and dark chocolate on the warm finish. Medium-bodied and sweet, yet dry on the palate.. syrupy at times.. low carbonation.. decent feel, but on the verge of cloying. This was OK, but not great.. and a slow sipper.
22 oz. bottle shared by Tmoney99. Pours a hazy reddish brown color with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet caramel malt, woody, soy, with a slight cherry tartness. The flavor is moderately sweet caramel malts, honey, only slight cherry with a little bit of tartness. The woody character smooths everything including the flavor. There just isn’t as much as I would expect.
Bottle. Nice deep reddish brown pour with a small clingy off white head. Aroma is mainly oak, with some cherry and chocolate. Medium to slightly dense mouthfeel. Taste is black cherry, mild sweet chocolate, and hints of oak and vanilla. Very nice.
Pours a cloudy dark reddish brown, with a fair bit of sediment, with a standard tan head. Aroma is rich with dark fruit and chocolate. Taste is of sweet malt, fruit and oak. Rich and well blended. Smooth and sweet palate at the end. A very nice brew; thumbs up!
Hazed brown pour. Sweet brown sugar and light dates. Cherries, brown sugar, sweet malt, and some sour. Medium bodied with good carbonation.
Bomber. Pours a dark mahogany color with a thin layer of dense head. The aroma is a potent blend of dark cherries, caramel malt and various dark sugars. The taste begins with a strong dose of sweet malt and caramel along with some brown sugar, candied figs and a little bit of oaky alcohol flavors toward the end. There’s also some mildly sweet dark cherry flavors in the background. The mouthfeel is definitely on the syrupy side with low carbonation and a malty, alcohol warming finish. It’s an interesting take on the Doppelbock style but the overall flavor is a little too medicinal and cloyingly sweet for my tastes. I would have liked a stronger cherry and oak presence and less sugary malt flavors.
Bottle: Pours a clear dark red color with nice light white head. The nose is bit and sweet with a very complex blend of fruit, tart and sweet chewy leathery malts. The flavor is balanced with a rich and robust malt body, heavy mouthfeel but a light ethereal tart cherry note in the forefront. Mild finish with a nice light oak and dark fig note in the finish. Yummy!
Brown-orange, beige cover. Aroma is cherry, vanilla, oak, caramel. Taste is sweet, caramel, cherry, doppel, cocoa.
Reddish copper, nice ring of foam. Fruity, woody aroma. Smooth palate, with a crisp finish. Noticeable cherry flavors, with vanilla and a little oak in the background. Maybe some chocolate as it warms.
2010 pre-Brewer’s Jam tasting. Cloudy rust color with floaties and very small head. The aroma is cherry, slight malt, hint of cocoa, quite a bit of raisin. The flavor is raisin, cherry, toast, a noticeable oaky vanilla, bit of bready yeast in finish. Decent.
(22oz bottle). Dark amber with thin off-white head. Aroma of sour cherries and wood. Taste is sourish. Medium bodied with sticky/oily texture. Finish is dry. This might have been a good beer if they left it out of the barrel. The dry woodyness just ruined whatever potential this beer had. Horrible disappointment.
Bottle shared at the September 2010 Metro Detroit tasting. Poured a hazy reddish brown with a near white head that dissipated to the edges. Aroma was full of oak and grains with a slight cherry and toffee note. The flavor also had a slight cherry note with a dark grain and toffee backing. Didn’t really come together for me.
Bottle from Once Upon a Vine - South on 04/16/2010. Somewhat hazy brown body with a small tan head. Sweet cherry and light oak aroma on a caramel and malty background. Sweet molasses, light cherry and oak flavor. Medium body with moderate carbonation. 7/3/7/3/14/3.4
Bottle graham 2/6/2011.
Slightly hazy amber body small off white head
Sweet fruit and caramel aroma
Sweet caramel fruit and light cherry flavor
Med full body mod low carb 7/3/7/3/14/3.4
bottle thanks to bhensonb. poured a deep amber almost brown with a nice beige head. aroma was cherry, caramel, spices, toffee, and caramel. flavor was cherry, oak, caramel, and raisin/plum. body was medium, slick, and low carbonation. this was by far the best widmer i have had yet. glad bill sent a bottle my way since i missed out when they were here.
22 oz. bottle. Dark amber color with a light head. Smelled like a cherry pop tart. Drinkable but a little heavy, so i sipped this one. I’m gad I tried it but I probaly won’t seek out again.
22 oz bottle consumed with my Thanksgiving dinner last year. Pours a nice deep red with tan head and nice spotted lacing. Smells of cherries, oak, vinous notes, caramel. Tastes of big caramel malt, with the cherry and oak flavors along with some vanilla oats playing a decided second fiddle. Not a bad beer, but I expected more coming from having "Cherry Oak" in the name.
In short: A problematic fruity dark larger that tastes like rotting stuff. Bad
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed a few months ago, probably fresh, soon after purchase. Tasting session with Montreal crew
The look: Partly cloudy dark amber body topped by a very small beige head
In long: Nose is a bit off with some rotting fruits and wet wood. Taste is oily buttery extra ripe fruits, some caramel, some wet wood. Actually the one word that came to me when drinking it was “putrefaction”. I had a strong sensation of decaying organic matter when drinking this beer. I did not like it one bit. The bottle comes in box, a lame attempt to make it more attractive. I don’t think packaging this shitty bottle of beer in a box will help to boost sales. Nor do I think that adding an adult toy to the value meal of a fast food chain would boost hamburger sales.
Serving: 22 oz. bottle from Wegmans Leesburg.
Aroma: A little chocolate, definitely some oak, dark sweet cherries, and a bit of earthiness.
Appearance: It pours a very dark ruby color with a small, light tan head. The head is quick to settle down to a thin top.
Taste: Overtly sweet and flush with alcohol. It almost reminds me of a dark cough syrup. The oak provides some contrast, but the sweetness is just plain overbearing. Expect plenty of dark cherries, a dank earthiness, and an odd bitterness stuck in the back. Being lower in carbonation, there isn’t much to cut through this thick sweet beast.
Palate: Rich in body with low carbonation and a lingering bitter, oaky finish.
Overall: I can’t say this one will rank up there with my favorite brews. Honestly I find it barely tolerable.
Rating: 7.3.5.3.10
Dark red color with a very thin head. Mild cherry aroma, toasty oak and buttery notes. Malty flavor, very full bodied. Oddly dry for a fruit doppelbock. Lightly charred oak. Some dark, bitter chocolate. Fruit doesn’t stand out at all, which is really the only negative on this one. Pretty tasty.
Dark amber with a red tint. No head really. Sweet dark fruit aroma. Oaky cherry very malty flavor. Thick and syrupy consistency. Thick fruity syrup bitter finish.
Bottle thanks Matt. Pours out dark amber topped with a small sand head. Aroma was of pit fruit, light cherries, caramel, oak, and some malt. Taste more of the sweet pit fruit and cherries show through. Not to bad but then again not that great.
Bottle 22fl.oz.
Unclear medium to dark amber color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, cramel, wood - oak, light roasted, berry notes. Flavor is light heavy sweet, light light acidic and moderate bitter with a long duration, oak, caramel, berry notes, chocolate notes. Body is medium, texture is oily to creamy, carbonation is soft. [20100709]
22 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy orange with a small tan head. Aroma is roasted breadish, light cheesy. Dark malty, overripe fruity, caramelish and bitter. Dry malty finish. Ends dry and roasted.