German Doppelbock Beer

Double Your Pleasure With Double Bock Beer

Jan 29, 2009

Every year just as cabin fever begins to set in, beer lovers start to salivate as they turn the pages of their calendars to February. They know that doppelbock is coming.

Doppelbock beer is one of the lesser known beer styles in the world. It may be because it's not widely brewed or marketed in the United states or perhaps its that this beer style doesn’t stay on store shelves very long. Doppelbock beer is typically rolled out on an annual basis, starting around February and lasting until late March or early April.

Bock Beer Originates in Einbeck, Germany

Doppelbock bock is just one of the many derivations on the bock beer theme. Bock beer is a beer style that was first brewed in the north of Germany centered in the city of Einbeck. It was considered a regional brew until around the 17th century when daughter of the Duke of Braunsweig married a wealthy aristocrat from the south. The bock beer that was brought to Bavaria as part of the nuptial celebration was embraced by the Bavarian nobility and soon became the beer of choice at the state-commissioned Hofbrauhaus in Munich.

Bavarian brewers –of which there were many- set about creating new bock-inspired brews, including a lighter version of the typically dark bock beer (helles bock), a more highly hopped version (Maibock, named after the month that follows April), a wheat-infused bock (weizenbock), and, upon the invention of artificial refrigeration, Eisbock!

Oddly enough, it was a religious order of Italian Monks that introduced the doppelbock style of beer to the world. The Order of St. Francis of Paula, cloistered high in the Bavarian Alps, developed this distinctive brew. They named this high-test double bock Salvator, in honor of The Savior; thus Paulaner Salvator was born. In reverence to the original, all subsequent German doppelbocks have been given names that end in "a-t-o-r". American microbrewers continue the tradition of using the -ator suffix, making doppelbocks easy to spot on the store shelf or the menu.

Flavor Profile for Doppelbock

The flavor profile for the average doppelbock would read like this:Amber to dark brown. Slight fruitiness and esters are expected but no hop aroma. The malty sweetness of this beer is evident in the aroma and flavor and may be intense. Low bitterness, low hop flavor, and low diacetyl (caramelly-buttery notes) are okay. High alcohol flavor may be experienced. Very full body.

Here are some great examples of imported German-style doppelbocks (though the last two are made in Austria and northern Italy):

The “double” bock designation should not be automatically assumed to mean that this style is twice the strength of regular bock beer. The standard German made bock beer contains about 6.5% alcohol (by volume); doppelbocks typically contain 7.5 to 9% alcohol (by volume).

Beers of this strength are referred to as “starkbier” in Germany and every year a Starkbierzeit (strong beer party) coincides with the annual release of doppelbock across Bavaria. Should you be fortunate enough to visit Bavaria in early March here are some incredible doppelbocks to try while there (these are generally not available in the U.S.):

The copyright of the article German Doppelbock Beer in Beers is owned by Marty Nachel. Permission to republish German Doppelbock Beer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.