Ale Academy: Doppelbock | VinePair

Welcome to Ale Academy (and Lagers, Too)! In this Intro to Beer Styles course, each comic-ale lesson will introduce a type of beer along with exemplary bottles, plus splashes of history mixed in. Class is taught by the illustrious (and fictional) Dr. Janine D. Clerk, who is the newest head of academic learning at the academy. She’s also a distant relative of the famous Belgian brewing scientist Jean De Clerck. Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time to learn about beer! In the last lesson of the course, we’ll explore the doppelbock style.

Today’s Style: Doppelbock

Doppelbock was invented in the 17th century Southern Germany by the Paulaner monks. While fasting for Lent, they discovered a loophole in the form of “liquid bread.” The monks began brewing a hyper-malted nourishing beer called “Salvator,” the Latin word for savior. Today, the “-ator” suffix lives on in modern doppelbocks as an homage to that first brew.

Made with a variety of malts, Noble hops, and lager yeast, doppelbocks can be pale or dark, and have aromas and flavors of caramel, dark toast, plum, and chocolate.

Doppelbocks to Try:

Troegs Troegenator
Spaten Optimator
Ayinger Celebrator
Paulaner Salvator

Doppelbock

We hope you enjoyed Ale Academy! For all of the lessons, view the Ale Academy archive.